The Arctic Flame
by L. A. Moonfyre
Summary: Korra comes across Kai, a mysterious Moon blessed Firebender who disguises herself as a boy. She is on the run from her past and focused on a future that is far worse than imagined. Joining forces with several other powerful Benders, Korra and Kai now face a situation that could end both their home and the Spirit realm if they can't work together.
1. Ch 1: Fluid Fire

Avatar The Legend of Korra  
The Arctic Flame  
Chapter 1: Fluid Fire

"_He bends fire like it's water!_"

Korra barely managed to glance behind her in time to see purple-white fire explode into the stunned thug, his own fire used against him.

"_What_ the-" A second thug crumpled under Korra's solid right hook as the young Avatar's full attention turned to the shorter teenager beside her.

He was watching the last Firebender thug with calm concentration. As soon as the man lashed out with a violent blast of flames, the teenaged boy effortlessly moved into stance. Korra instantly recognized the fluid motions of a Waterbender, but as she watched in surprise, he captured control of the fire roaring towards him. The red flames curled around his body, and as he directed it right back into the thug's shocked face, the color of the fire changed into that strange purple-white Korra had glimpsed before.

With a grunt the man hit a nearby wall and slumped to the ground, unconscious along with his two cohorts. As the boy stood straight from his stance, Korra heard herself ask, "Who... who _are_ you?"

Deep purple eyes met her gaze for the shortest of moments before he shrugged with indifference. "I'm just another lost soul here in Republic City." He was very soft spoken and would not meet Korra's questioning eyes again, although the Avatar could see that he stood with a great weight on his shoulders. She never expected to find such a person when she entered the city that day, in an effort to clear her head after another long and frustrating morning of Airbending training.

Her wandering had taken her though some of the more run-down areas of the city, where she heard a commotion coming from a grubby dead-end alley. At first glance, it appeared as if three firebending brutes had cornered a defenseless teenager, but the Avatar now knew that it was a misleading illusion. She had assumed that the strange boy with white hair was a non-bender because he wasn't putting up a fight at all. He had only reacted when one of the men shot at Korra from a blind spot, and he surprised everyone by redirecting the fire of another person. Korra would have never believed that such a thing was possible if she hadn't witnessed it herself. It was unheard of, not to mention the bizarre way that the fire changed color by his hand.

She studied his white hair where it appeared from under his hat, her mind trying to understand why it seemed so damn familiar, but the train of thought was lost when she saw movement in the corner of her eye. She reacted, but it wasn't fast enough to save the boy from taking a nasty suckerpunch from the man who had fallen first, golden glasses flying towards Korra.

The short boy hit the ground in the same moment that Korra launched the man high into the air with a well-aimed point of earth, his scream lost among the sounds of him crashing onto a nearby roof. The Water Tribe girl then scooped the motionless boy up into her arms after carefully picking up his golden specs, and she turned to leave the alley to seek out the nearest ferry back to the island.

* * *

It was quiet when Korra returned to the Air Temple island with the boy still in her arms. A severe bruise was already forming over his swollen right eye and he had not stirred at all on the boat ride back to the island. _I hope you'll be alright..._ Lightly Korra bit her bottom lip.

She took the strange boy inside and gently laid him out on the nearest bench before she left to find Tenzin. The Airbending master was outside, quietly meditating in a pavilion overlooking the water between the island and the mainland, but he stirred when he heard Korra approach.

"You came back rather quickly... Did something happen, Korra?"

The Avatar sighed and replied, "Actually, yeah... Would you mind coming with me? I'll explain..."

By the time the two stood beside the boy, Korra had told Tenzin about everything that happened. His gaze took in the teenage boy's entire appearance while he thoughtfully stroked his beard, his long silence telling Korra that he knew something profound.

When he finally spoke, his every word caught her ear, "Korra, do you know the story of the Moon Spirit and Princess Yue?"

She smacked her fist against her open palm with sudden revelation. "_Oh, of course!_ I can't believe I forgot something like that..." Her blue eyes studied white hair. "No wonder he feels like a familiar presence... He's been blessed by the Moon Spirit, but why? How is it possible? I would never think that the Moon Spirit would bless a Firebender..."

Tenzin let out a small chuckle. "Well, the spirits sometimes do things that we never expect... You will just have to ask him when he wakes up. For now, be patient." Korra nodded, possibilities of all kinds turning over in her mind. She wanted to ask the strange Firebender so many questions! Tenzin gave her shoulder a light squeeze. "Korra, why don't you catch your breath and eat something? I'll keep an eye on him for you."

Nodding, Korra at last turned to leave, but she paused at the doorway. Before she could voice her mind, Tenzin waved her off and said, "I'll call for you if he wakes up, so go on." She flashed the Airbender a thankful grin and left the room. Tenzin listened to her footsteps fade away, then he leaned down a bit to get a better look at the boy.

It was easy to see that his facial features and skin tone hinted at Water Tribe heritage, though it didn't prove that he had been born from a Water Tribe family. However, based on Korra's story and the detail of the boy controlling fire like water, it did add more weight to that possibility. Tenzin pulled off the boy's hat and lightly touched his forehead to probe his spiritual energy.

Immediately Tenzin could feel the power of the Moon Spirit strongly within the boy, but he could also feel inner darkness. _Who are you? What has taken place in your young life already to leave such a mark of darkness upon your spirit?_

* * *

Korra was in the middle of eating a bowl of spicy noodles when she heard Tenzin call for her. She practically bolted from the table and left her forgotten food behind, hurrying to the front foyer and to the young Firebender's side. He was sitting up and cradled his head in his hand, his purple hat clutched tightly in his other fist. At the sound of Korra's steps he looked up, their eyes meeting again for a brief instant before he looked away. The young Avatar winced at the sight of the boy's black eye, but when she leaned down to get a closer look, he instinctively pulled away. She frowned, meeting Tenzin's gaze for a moment before she took a step back. The mysterious boy visibly relaxed with the space between them again.

Tenzin stroked his beard for a moment, then he asked, "What is your name?"

The boy replaced his hat on his head and tugged the bill low over his eyes, responding in the same soft voice Korra remembered, "My name... Kai."

The Airbender was silent for a moment, Korra watching his face to try to gauge what Tenzin was thinking but his expression gave nothing away. "Kai, you say? I'm Tenzin, but do you mind me asking where you originally come from? It's not often that we come across a Firebender who's as... unique as you are. Korra here told me what you did with the fire from another bender."

Kai was silent for a while, and when he looked down at his hands he murmured, "I don't come from anywhere. I have no home to speak of." The weight of his words clearly said otherwise, and the Airbending master was reminded of the taint of darkness he had felt within Kai.

"Sadly, that is a well-known story in Republic City, but I want you to know you are always welcome here in the Air Temple, for as long as you need. Korra," the young Avatar turned to Tenzin, "please make our new friend feel comfortable. I am going to do a little research in the library, so if you need anything you know where to find me."

Korra watched Tenzin go, and once she was alone with the Firebender, she looked at his small form. He was staring down at his hands in silence, and even though Korra wanted to ask him a thousand different questions, she instead held them inside. She took a seat at the other end of the bench, leaving as much space between the two young benders as the bench would allow.

While Korra tried to decide where to start, Kai spoke, "Thank you..."

She felt herself smile a bit, but only for a moment before she asked, "How did they manage to corner you like that? It's obvious that you are a much stronger bender than all three of them combined..."

Letting out a sigh, Kai's face turned away and his soft voice trembled the slightest as he responded, "I try to avoid bending as much as I can. It's not... not really something I am proud of." His hands clenched into tight fists and his entire body shook.

Korra was shocked. "Not proud of? But why? Bending is such an amazing gift..."

"_No it's not!_ It's a damn curse, and one that I want to be cured of!" The sudden strength in his voice only validated the honesty of his words, and again Korra found herself in stunned surprise.

"...How could you believe such a thing?" Korra asked, her voice a mere murmur in the wake of Kai's shout. The white-haired boy bit his bottom lip, unspoken words weighing heavily down on him, yet he remained silent. He would not meet the Avatar's eyes, and the Water Tribe girl became angry.

"How can you believe that?" she asked again, her voice rising with her demand to know. "What the hell happened to you to make you feel this way about yourself? No one should ever want to lose a part of themselves like that, Kai!"

He laughed bitterly and finally met her burning blue eyes. Korra could see a deep-cutting pain within the small Firebender's expression and some of her anger deflated. When he spoke, that pain tightly laced within the tone of his soft voice, "Sometimes the way we are born is wrong, it's as simple as that. I should have never existed as a Firebender; it only plagues the lives of others. I'm a curse on my family, Korra. Do you understand that?"

Silence was heavy between the two, Korra biting on her own tongue in the face of Kai's pain.

"Kai, I'm sorry-" she started, but he cut her words short and interjected, "Don't bother about it, you don't know the full story." He turned away, but he added in a quiet whisper, "Maybe one day, I can tell you everything about me..."

"Like about you and the Moon Spirit...?"

Shocked hardly befitted the Firebender's expression when he met Korra's eyes, this time not breaking their eye contact. She could clearly see a powerful fear overflowing from Kai. "How... How do you know about that?" the boy asked, his voice so weak that Korra almost didn't hear him.

She replied, "I'm the Avatar, but I'm also a Southern Water Tribe girl. The legend of Princess Yue and the Moon Spirit is well known even in the Southern Water Tribe, but to be honest I didn't remember it until Tenzin brought it up."

That fear only increased in Kai's wide purple eyes and it looked like he would bolt from the room at any given instant. "_How did he know?"_ Kai demanded.

Korra put up her hands and said, "Relax, we aren't going to tell anyone if that's what worries you! Tenzin's mother is Water Tribe, plus she was sort of there with Yue when she saved the spirit... Anyway, your hair kinda gives it away, but what I want to know is how it happened to you..."

Suddenly, Korra became deathly silent, remembering a fable she was told as a child about Princess Yue and the Moon Spirit. Without realizing it at first, she began to recite it in a soft whisper,

Long ago in the era of the Avatar that was the last bender of air  
A girl in the far north was born as still as the winter night  
Three days her parents prayed to the spirit of the Moon to ease their despair  
Their cries were answered with a blessing of life and the girl marked by hair snow-white..."

To Korra's great surprise, Kai's voice picked up where she had left off, the teenaged boy completing the rhyme perfectly word-for-word,

"Her gift was not wasted as she experienced life with its joy and sorrow  
Until came the _curse_ of _fire_ that selfishly ended the Moon without a fight  
In a moment she decided the fate of all, knowing for her there would be no tomorrow  
And with a courageous heart returned the blessing of life to the spirit of the night."

As his words fell silent, Korra noticed tears building in his eyes, but the fact that he knew the rhyme led the young Avatar to suspect that Kai was hiding a lot more from her. "I thought that only Water Tribe natives know that particular rhyme…" Korra whispered, her words easy to follow to her true thoughts.

Rather than deny what Korra was implying, Kai pulled off his golden framed specs and dropped them on the bench beside him so he could cover his face. His small body shook with the sobs that he tried to contain, but it was far beyond his control. He completely broke down in front of the young Avatar, Korra amazed by the sudden emotion from the Firebender.

This time when she got close, he did not draw away from her, and tenderly Korra held Kai in her arms as he cried. Even though Korra didn't fully understand what caused Kai such pain, she knew that she wanted to do something to try to ease it. After knowing Kai for less than a day, it was obvious that the Firebender's life had never been easy nor kind to him, and despite Korra's usually tough demeanor, she felt her own eyes start to burn.

"Kai…" Korra breathed when she felt him bury his face against her chest. He clutched onto her clothes and his smaller form shook against her body. The young Avatar could tell that Kai had been holding his emotions inside for an awful long time. She pulled off his hat and set it aside so she could run her fingers through his moon-touched white hair, her strokes soothing him enough to stop his relentless shaking. _I wonder if he's ever had a friend_… Korra thought to herself, biting her tongue lightly.

From the shadows beyond a nearby doorway, Tenzin stepped back and mused to himself. He had come back to the front foyer when he had heard the two shouting, and quietly stood by to overhear the conversation that followed. Just like Korra, the Airbender wondered about the exact chain of events that had led to Kai becoming blessed by the Moon Spirit, but by now Tenzin strongly believed that the small boy was indeed a natural born Water Tribe native.

He listened to Kai's quiet sobs for a few more moments, then he silently retreated to search his library for any information he could find on the mysterious Moon Spirit and if a Firebender before Kai had ever been blessed by it.

* * *

Night had fallen across Republic City by the time that Kai finally managed to stop crying. He had not intended to unleash such a flood of raw emotion in Korra's presence, but the young Avatar noticed that he seemed to carry himself lighter than before. The two benders were taking a quiet walk outside, but they soon discovered that they weren't alone.

Korra heard familiar giggles behind the two while they stood on the pavilion overlooking the water, and she turned to see Tenzin's two daughters with matching over exaggerated grins. "Ooh, Korra, _who_ is _this_ that you're taking a romantic evening stroll with?" Ikki questioned loudly as her and Jinora studied the teenaged boy standing beside Korra.

"Uh…" Korra started, but her voice faltered when the older sister put in, "My goodness, he's kinda cute! Where did you find him?"

"Er, well, you see…"

"Look Jin! Korra's blushing like a school girl! I think we walked in on them at a bad time~!"

"_Hey now, it's not what you think-!"_

"Heehee, we totally _did _bust them at a bad time, Jin! Now he's blushing, too!"

"_**Grr**__, scram, you pests!_" Korra punctuated her loud growl with a hard kick of earthbending that launched the two giggling Airbenders into the night sky, beyond sight. Kai mumbled something that Korra couldn't make out and he turned back around to the water, hiding his bright blush beneath the bill of his hat as he tugged it lower.

The Avatar awkwardly ran her fingers over her bangs and sighed, struggling with her own flushed cheeks. "… Sorry about that. Those two, they're at _that_ age, y'know?"

To her surprise, Kai actually chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. I remember what it was like," he said with a faint smile. Korra felt a grin touch her own lips.

"You sound like an old man when you say it like that," Korra chided playfully.

Kai tugged on a lock of white hair and said, "Well, I certainly have the hair for it!" They both laughed at that and Korra again faced the water, right by Kai's side. The silence that followed was a light one, Kai taking in the night while Korra took in his presence.

Even now, numerous questions filled her restless mind about the mysterious boy, but she only gave voice to one, "Does your eye still hurt a lot?"

Kai brushed his fingertips against his puffy cheek below his bruised eye, but he replied, "Nah, it's not the worst pain I've experienced. It'll be alright."

For a moment, Korra bit her lower lip in thought, then she said, "If you want, I could heal it right now for you. It would only take a second."

Those deep purple eyes met the sincerity in her blue gaze, Kai really studying Korra's face in the moonlight for the first time. She still had a faint blush across her cheeks and her bottom lip held between her teeth, but Kai was struck by her unrealized and majestic beauty. He heard himself answer before he really thought it through, "O-okay, Korra."

He reached up and pulled his hat off while Korra twirled her fingers and twisted her wrist upwards above the surface of the water. Far below the pavilion, the water eagerly responded and a small tendril curled up through the air's currents to her. It coated her entire hand and started to faintly glow with blue light. With her free hand, the Water Tribe girl carefully plucked Kai's golden framed specs from his face and she leaned closer.

Her water-coated hand came up between them and her outstretched fingers tenderly touched his swollen cheek. Through their small contact, the Avatar felt a tremor run through the moon-touched Firebender. Korra exhaled a deep breath to focus and her glowing water responded, leaving the surface of her hand to coat Kai's injured skin.

The warmth of the Water Tribe girl's breath tickled his trembling lips and told him just how close Korra was. He had shut his eyes against the increasing brightness of the glowing blue energy, but another warm exhale across his lips sent a tremor down his spine. Korra noticed that the Firebender had developed a light blush and ever so slightly he pressed more into the palm of her hand. Now the Avatar could feel his hot breath against her, which sparked a blush on her face as well. Without being aware of it, Korra was tilting her head down more towards Kai while Kai was standing up on his toes to get closer to Korra.

The blue glow of Korra's healing water was just starting to fade away and the distance between the two young benders almost gone when a muffled gasp from above jolted them out of the moment. Kai quickly stepped away from Korra with raw shame filling his expression, and the Avatar released an annoyed sound. She moved through a quick and well-known sequence, her efforts rewarded by a loud splash on the roof of the pavilion and two girlish shrieks.

"If I have to come up there, then Tenzin is going to have to hammer two frozen daughters out of giant ice blocks! Now, get outta here and go to bed, it's way beyond your bedtimes!" Kai and Korra heard faint whooshes as Jinora and Ikki carefully airbended off of the roof towards their nearby home, leaving the two still standing on the pavilion alone.

"Mischievous, those two kids," Korra said with a shake of her head. Kai faintly laughed in response and replaced his hat, though Korra could still see that shame in his expression. She wanted to distract Kai from that painful feeling and a random impulse hit her. Korra offered his glasses to him, but as he slid them on, the Avatar stole the hat from his head. She put it on herself and laughed, turning and running towards the lit windows of the waiting Airbender home. The shorter boy hollered after her, but with a genuine smile now touching his still trembling lips.

* * *

The dim darkness of the dungeon-like room ebbed away from the flimsy light of the single candle. The Chi blocker could not stop the trembling of his body as he knelt to the floor before the absolutely silent man. When the kneeling man glanced up at the emotionless white mask of Amon, he licked his lips nervously.

"Rise, my fellow Equalist, and tell me about what you saw today." His voice was like icy velvet when he spoke, every word precisely articulated from beneath the unmoving mask.

Standing up straight, the Chi blocker nodded and replied in a hushed murmur, "This afternoon, while I was tailing the Avatar in the city, she came across a scuffle between some Firebending filth and a teenaged boy. At first, it didn't look like anything big, until the teenager bended another Firebender's flames as if they were water. His movements mirrored a master Waterbender, but the kicker is this: he changed the color of the fire, and his hair is snow white."

Amon's back stiffened and he inhaled rather sharply. "Are you absolutely sure of what you saw?" he hissed, venom filling his words now. The Chi blocker nodded, and Amon released a disturbing laugh. "Excellent! Now, I want you to gather a small team of your best fighters and prepare yourselves for a most important task. Remember, this matter _must_ remain a private affair, so only a few men are needed. I want you to keep track of this Firebender, and on my command you will bring him to me. Alive, and in chains."

_Chapter 1 End~_


	2. Ch 2: Twisted Truths

Chapter 2: Twisted Truths

Tenzin's eyes were completely bloodshot by the time he exited the library the next morning. He rubbed his burning eyes while he turned over the little information he had gathered during the night. Despite pouring through countless scripts, scrolls, and books, Tenzin had found little information about the Moon Spirit aside from a few small details that he could not even verify to be true. "It's times like this when I wish I could go to Wan Shi Tong's library..." he muttered to himself as he turned a corner.

His feet came to a halt when he saw his two daughters giggling and peering through a cracked door that led to a small kitchen. "What are you two doing this early?" he questioned the young girls.

Jinora instantly pulled away from the door, sliding it closed in Ikki's face (much to Ikki's annoyance) and started to say, "Oh, nothing! We were just-"

"Didja know Kai and Korra almost kissed last night? If Jin had kept quiet..."

"_Ikki, hush up!_"

The two girls fell silent at the way Tenzin's expression had drastically changed, the Airbending master's face a deep red and his stiff body trembling. After a moment, his unbridled fury came crashing through, "I want _both_ of _you_ in your rooms, _now!_ We will discuss this later!" He waited long enough for the two girls to scurry out of the hallway before he bellowed Korra's name.

The door Jinora had closed flew open again, Korra's blue eyes wide as she met Tenzin's gaze. "Tenzin, what happened?" He wagged a finger at her for her to follow, and after Korra called to Kai that she would be right back, she followed the silent Airbender all the way outside into the morning sunlight.

"Tenzin, what's going on? You seem tense... Well, more so than usual," the young Avatar spoke, unable to read Tenzin's expression because his back was still to her.

She heard him let out a heavy sigh, and without turning around he asked, "Korra... how much do you know about that Firebender?"

She quirked an eyebrow. "Kai? I know about as much as you do... He's a Firebender blessed by the Moon Spirit. Why?"

Tenzin turned to finally meet Korra's confused face and she could see that he knew something more. "Sometimes we need to be careful about those we trust, and those that we let close to our hearts..." His tone of voice didn't sit right with Korra, and she felt her confusion grow more.

"What do you mean? Last night you said that he was welcome, that I should make him feel comfortable here. Why the change?" Korra questioned. She could tell that Tenzin was holding something back and he wasn't being outright with her.

He again rubbed his bloodshot eyes. "I know what I said, Korra, and now all I am telling you is to be careful with who you let close to your heart. You _never_ know what secrets people are keeping."

"Like you are right now."

Tenzin met the hard edge in Korra's blue eyes and he inwardly slapped himself for his method of approach. "Look, Korra, I just don't want you to get hurt... Please be careful," he finally managed to say, but he knew that it did nothing to dampen Korra's bubbling emotions.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be careful, even though I don't know _what to be careful of._ You may not trust Kai, but I do. He's hiding things, that's obvious, but he needs a _friend_ to open up to, not an interrogator. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a breakfast to finish." Without waiting for an answer, Korra turned on her heel and went back into the Airbender's home, while behind her Tenzin shook his head.

"Yes, Korra, he does need a friend. But not a lover."

Korra was still seething in anger when she re-entered the kitchen. The Firebender took one look at her and could easily read her emotions. "He didn't say anything good, did he?" Kai asked, setting a hot pot of tea down on the table where the two were sitting.

Korra gave a dismissive wave and said, "Nothing new for Tenzin, really. Just reminding me to be careful about who I trust."

The boy's voice was oddly quiet as he replied, "He's right, though. Some secrets can leave deep scars when they're discovered." He picked up a tea cup while Korra scrutinized him hard.

"What kinds of secrets?" the Avatar asked, but when pain-filled purple eyes met her gaze, she let the lingering question remain unanswered.

Quietly she watched Kai for a moment as he pushed around the food sitting before him, those questions again buzzing around in her mind, but with a new one that she could not ignore. "I wasn't the only one feeling like that last night, was I?" She wasn't even certain if she was prepared for an answer of any kind, but her hammering heart had to know.

The faint blush that struck Kai was so reminiscent of the one from the night before that it shortened Korra's breath, but again the Avatar saw that unforgiving shame within the Firebender's eyes. "...No, you weren't the only one, Korra, but for your sake I have to stop this now. No good can come of it for either of us," Kai murmured. He held up a hand just as Korra was going to question why and shook his head.

"Take Tenzin's advice and guard your heart."

The last things Korra took note of were the tears building up in those purple eyes, then Kai was gone out the kitchen door. Even though Korra wanted more than anything to go follow him, the way his voice had shook kept her rooted to her chair.

_Why do you have to hurt so much by yourself? _Korra faintly wondered, ignoring her own burning eyes. _Have you really been alone for that long?_

* * *

By mid-afternoon Korra figured she had given Kai enough time alone to think, but she couldn't find him anywhere in the house. When she made her way outside she came across Tenzin, the Airbender's face solemn when he saw her.

"Tenzin, have you seen..."

"Kai. Yes I have, but I think you should sit down with me for a moment." The tone in his words left no room for argument. The young Avatar adopted the Airbender's meditation sitting position, though her constant fiddling betrayed her anxiety.

Tenzin took in a deep breath, gesturing to Korra to do the same before he released it, then he spoke. "Korra, I read up on a lot of old myths and ancient teachings about the Moon Spirit last night. Now mind you, the amount of information is tiny compared to what you can find in the Northern Water Tribe archives, but it is enough for me to know that Kai is lying about at least one thing. Nevertheless, Kai _has_ been blessed by the Moon Spirit, and as the Avatar it is part of your sacred duty to help bridge the gap between our realm and the Spirit realm.

"I believe that you must help Kai, not from any outside forces, but from the forces within." Here Tenzin gestured to his own heart to emphasize. "Kai is living under a dangerous belief. I don't know how or why, but he believes his existence as a Firebender is wrong... He told me before he left that he will seek whatever means necessary to 'cure' himself of firebending, and that is why he came to Republic City."

Korra was deathly silent as it all washed over her. She remembered Kai mentioning that he wanted to be cured of bending, but the cold realization of Tenzin's implications took the breath right out of her body. "Wh-what is he lying about, then?" Korra croaked, unable to bear the thought any longer of someone wanting their bending gone.

Tenzin shook his head as he answered, "That is something that I have no right to discuss; Kai said he would rather tell you himself. Right now though, it's not important. What is important is that you go find him and stop him from following what he thinks is the right path. Korra, he's left to go back into Republic City to seek Amon."

Korra's stomach twisted up sharply and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't even think clearly enough to respond or formulate the important questions that she had to ask, but Tenzin answered them anyway, "He just left on a ferry headed for the mainland. Korra, he wouldn't listen to me, but I know you can get through to him; you already have a small place in his heart."

If Tenzin wanted to say anything more, he lost the chance. Korra leaped to her feet and made a mad dash to the nearest shore, her heart hammering with enough force that she swore it could have jumped right out of her body. Her thoughts were focused only on getting to Kai before he could be lost within the city.

By the time Korra reached the waterline, she could see the ferry in the distance. The young Avatar took a deep breath to gather her focus, and launched herself into the water. She sank for only a moment until her bending took effect, channeling the waters around her body to propel her straight through it. Her eyes stayed locked on the ferry while the water whirled violently around her, and once she was close enough, she froze the ferry and stopped it dead in the water. Creating a water spout by twisting her body and spinning the water, she lifted herself up out of the water and onto the boat.

Immediately she heard the ferryman sling curses at her, "What the hell makes you think you have the damn right to stop my ferry when you please? Even as the Avatar, you've got some nerve! I have a schedule to keep, but all of you damn benders are the same, selfish bastards who don't give a damn about anyone else..."

Korra tuned him out, her blue eyes scanning the staring crowd for any sign of Kai but she didn't see him. She tried to call his name, but her voice was lost under the growing force of angry shouts. They started to crowd around her with demands to release the ferry, making it impossible for her to get a good look around, and when her frustration hit its limit, Korra screamed loudly. She shattered the ice holding the ferry and threw herself overboard, catching herself with the water and again rushing towards the mainland.

On the boat and hiding behind a few workers, Kai watched her go with sadness in his eyes. How could the Avatar ever understand? Kai had to do it...

* * *

Tenzin knew from Korra's drooping posture that she had been unable to find the Firebender. He remained quiet on the matter while Korra sat down beside Meelo at the table where dinner was already underway. "Why so sad, Korra? Did you lose your special friend?" the youngest Airbender sibling asked. Korra only nodded in reply, taking a bowl of rice when Tenzin's wife handed it to her. The Air acolyte was thoughtful while she studied Korra, recognizing the small seed of affection that had already started to bloom within the Avatar's heart.

"So you can't play the gross kiss-kiss game like Momma and Daddy, right? I'd be happy about that, not sad! Blech!" Meelo said loudly, his words stirring several different emotions at the same time.

There was a line of name accusation that followed around the table, starting with Ikki, "_Meelo, hush! You aren't supposed to know..._"

"_Ikki! I told you __**not**__ to tell him...!_"

"_Jinora! What have I said about spying on people?_"

"_Tenzin! I warned you about using that tone at the dinner table!_"

Korra didn't look up, her troubled thoughts too preoccupied with Kai to really respond to the antics of the Airbending family. Pema paused to study Korra for a moment, the older woman sitting back in her chair while she thought. The Avatar didn't even flinch when Meelo threw an entire bowl of rice, _her_ rice, into Ikki's face and absolute chaos followed.

In the midst of the madness, Korra pushed away from the table and stood. Tenzin was in the middle of stopping a world war between his children, but he gave Pema a thoughtful glance. She nodded to him in response and she carefully got to her feet as she called out to Korra.

The young Avatar slowed her walking pace so Pema could catch up, the older woman letting out a long sigh once she was beside Korra. "I wish I could always run away when those three start up," Pema said with a smile. Korra tried to give her a halfhearted smile, but it died on the way out. The Air acolyte gently placed a hand on Korra's shoulder and stopped their walking so she could fully look Korra in the eyes.

It took a few moments before the Avatar could meet her gaze, but when she did her composure finally broke. The older woman held Korra while the Avatar cried and said in confusion, "I-I don't understand why I care this much...!"

Pema lightly stroked her hand down Korra's back and said, "We can't control how our hearts feel, dear. Even at my age, my heart follows its own whims, but I find that I'm happier when I don't fight it."

Korra pulled away far enough to meet the older woman's eyes as she replied, "Even though I know nothing about him? I feel so attached already, and I'm so worried..."

Pema smiled and it was sincere and full of experience. "That, believe it or not, is a good thing. Have faith, you'll see him again. You two are tied together, in more ways than one."

The Avatar's tears fell harder and she had to look away as she whispered, "What if I can't save him in time?"

Pema's smile never faltered and she repeated, "Have faith. It'll work out, I'm sure of it."

Korra finally smiled back, but inside she didn't feel so certain. She sniffed and pulled away, but she was glad when the older woman kept Korra's hand clasped within her own in silent support.

Even if she did see Kai again, what would she say? What could she possibly do to make Kai see himself for what he truly was? To see that he wasn't a curse? Korra's hand tightened around Pema's with her next thought. She knew that she had to prove to Kai that he wasn't a curse to her, no matter what it took.

Pema saw the determination when it suddenly filled Korra, but before the older woman could say anything about it, one of the White Lotus men rounded a corner and almost ran into them. When he saw Korra, he hoarsely panted, "Th-there's something on the radio that you need to hear..."

Pema and Korra locked eyes for a moment and both gave a nod. The Air acolyte released the Avatar's hand, and Korra rushed to follow the White Lotus member back to the radio as Pema called for Tenzin.

Korra and the White Lotus member entered a small sitting room just as a newscaster on the radio said, "I repeat, just outside of General City Station a huge firebending riot seems to be underway! We don't know the full details yet, but reports coming in mention oddly colored fire! Wait, it sounds like it's a giant firebending fight, and one bender is actually redirecting the flames! Whoah, ladies and gentlemen! If I didn't trust my sources, I wouldn't believe it without seeing it myself!"

Korra turned to leave, but Tenzin met her at the doorway. "Come with me, Oogi can get us there faster," the Airbending master said. Korra nodded gratefully and followed Tenzin out.

* * *

Within minutes they could see the violent flashes of fire from the fight in the city below them. It had spilled into the square where Fire Lord Zuko's statue stood, Korra easily picking out familiar purple-white flames. Tenzin urged his air bison down, and as soon as those six feet touched pavement, the Avatar launched herself from Oogi's back and sprinted towards the fire fight.

She still couldn't see Kai among the blinding fire, but she heard him sharply cry out in pain. The flames stopped for an instant, and Korra's blue eyes could see it all. Kai was on his knees, clutching his left arm while his blood poured across the pavement, but his gaze directed hatefully towards a familiar thug in a throng of five closing in around him. Korra recognized the thug from the day before, but the only thing she could focus on was the blood-soaked metal pipe in his hands.

She released an unearthly scream while the ground rumbled under their feet. It was the only warning the thugs got before the earth exploded, blowing them all away from Kai while the boy remained untouched. Korra chased after the one who still clutched the pipe, ignoring the others for the moment as they picked themselves up. Fire poured from her mouth when she screamed, and she delivered a knockout fire punch to the pipe-wielding thug, his body sailing away through the air and his weapon clattering into the shadows. She turned on the next Firebender with a punishing dragon tail kick, trying to get back to Kai as two others again moved towards him.

Kai struggled to his feet, raising his right arm in some effort of defense, but he didn't need to bother. Tenzin sent the two men tumbling painfully head over heels into the solid base of Fire Lord Zuko's statue with a strong twist of wind, knocking them both out with one expert strike. The man Korra fought twisted to avoid her fire kick, but she lurched the ground beneath his feet so he stumbled towards her waiting fists. With loud flame-filled growls, she unleashed a flurry of fast jabs against his face until he did a graceful pivot in place and fell with a thud to the concrete. The last Firebender looked from Tenzin to Korra before he glanced up at the sky and punched himself out.

Korra relaxed her fighting stance and took a second look around to make sure the threat was nullified, then she rushed over to Tenzin and Kai. The small Firebender was again on his knees, his head bowed to hide his grimace of pain while Tenzin examined his arm. Korra flinched when she heard Kai sharply gasp, then Tenzin said, "It's broken. You're going to need to see a doctor to have it correctly set if you want full use of it again in the future." Kai nodded and Tenzin supported him as he got shakily to his feet.

"Why did they attack you?" Korra asked, but Tenzin waved the question away.

"Unless we all want to be stuck here for the next two hours answering questions-," he paused to gesture towards the approaching air ships of the city's police force, "-then I suggest that we make our way out of here." Korra nodded somewhat eagerly, the young Avatar not looking to come across BeiFong's police anytime soon if she could help it.

As the three made their way back to Oogi, Kai gently tugged on Tenzin's sleeve to urge the Airbender to lean an ear down to the Firebender. He whispered something hurriedly into Tenzin's ear, and the Airbender gave a nod. "Good point. We'll go back to the island for now, and I'll find a doctor to make a house call." Korra quirked an eyebrow at this but she held her tongue for the moment. There would be plenty of time for questions soon enough.

It took some effort, but the three were eventually on their way back to Air Temple Island. Kai sat in between Tenzin and Korra so they could help steady him. He leaned more towards Korra, the Avatar on his right side so it wasn't painful for him to press against her. Korra didn't say anything, but her heart did a back-flip when she felt Kai's hand silently seek out hers and grasp it.

Their fingers naturally intertwined together, and Korra smiled despite it all.

_Chapter 2 End~_


	3. Ch 3: Spiritual Scars

Chapter 3: Spiritual Scars

The Avatar sat with the Firebender while Tenzin was gone to find medical help. Korra had to fight with Ikki and Jinora just to get the two to leave Kai alone long enough to get his arm checked, and thankfully Pema had the state of mind to usher her children away with the promise of making them something sweet. Now Korra and Kai waited alone in the bedroom that the Firebender had slept in, with a somewhat tense silence over them.

Kai was breathing heavily against the constant pain of his broken limb, and he glanced at Korra with a wry grin as he asked, "I don't suppose your water could heal this, huh?"

Korra lightly bit her lip before she replied, "Mending bones is much different from mending skin." The Firebender let out a pained sigh, so Korra decided to ask a question to try to distract him. "So why did those guys attack you?" she asked.

He let out a small laugh and replied, "It's stupid, really. They came across me yesterday to try to rob me, but after they saw my firebending, I guess they wanted to talk me into joining their Firebender gang today. I refused, but they came prepared and would not take no for an answer." He gave a single shoulder shrug then, meeting Korra's gaze. "You saw what happened after that."

Korra gave a nod, sitting back and letting her gaze drift around the small room. Out of nowhere the Avatar felt her eyes start to burn, and her emotions finally got the best of her. "I... I was so scared for you..." she whispered faintly, staring down at her hands because she couldn't bear to see whatever expression Kai held on his face now. "I don't know why you just left like that, but I'm sorry about making you feel uncomfortable. It's just that... I care. Whether or not you like it, Kai, I do care about you..."

She became quiet as Kai reached over to gently lift her chin and urge Korra to meet his gaze. Within his eyes, she saw a familiar tenderness that Kai was not trying to hide away. "I'm glad you came for me, Korra. Thank you. I'm sorry for running away without talking to you first, but... I do not want to add the weight of my existence to your shoulders," he said softly, his voice steady but full of unbridled emotion.

Korra grasped his fingers when he started to draw his hand back, holding him against her damp cheek as she replied, "When will you figure out that I don't see you that way? Whatever burdens you are carrying in your heart, they will not drive me away from you. You aren't alone anymore, Kai."

Her final statement was a simple one, but Korra could see that it had a profound effect on the small Firebender. She smiled and reached up with a free hand to gently wipe away one of the tears that Kai hadn't realized started to fall from his purple eyes, the boy surprised by the rise of emotions within his heart. Suddenly, there was so much that Kai wanted to share with Korra, so many secrets and hidden truths that he wanted to lay bare before her, but all he could manage was a smile.

They finally broke their physical contact just as the door opened, Tenzin entering the small bedroom with a younger woman following him. His eyes met Korra's gaze and his expression softened a bit. "Korra, would you mind going to ask Pema to prepare some sleep tonic? It should help Kai get to sleep tonight..." She knew that he was just trying to get her out of the room while Kai was examined, but for the sake of easing Kai's pain as soon as possible, she didn't argue.

The Avatar got to her feet, pausing before she left when Kai's voice drew her attention, "Will you come back after?"

"Of course!" Korra replied with a crooked grin, and she nodded to Tenzin and the physician on her way out. Tenzin shut the door behind her just as she heard the doctor instruct Kai to take off his jacket. Banishing several devious thoughts from her mind, Korra focused on her task and headed for the nearby kitchen, where Pema and her three children were gathered.

Korra entered the warm space and immediately all attention was directed to her presence. "Ooooo~, something _good_ must have happened because Korra is practically _glowing_...!" Ikki started, but she fell quiet at a meaningful scowl from her mother. Pema then turned her attention to the Avatar and offered her a chair at the counter where a batch of sweet berry cakes was being prepared.

"How is he doing?" Pema asked when Korra had taken a seat.

"Mm, he'll be okay soon enough. Tenzin sent me in here to ask you if you would make some sleep tonic," Korra replied, trying to ignore the blatant stares from the Airbending daughters.

Pema glanced at Jinora and said, "Will you finish mixing this for me, dear?"

Jinora nodded and switched places with her mother while Meelo crept up to Korra. "You didn't play the gross kiss-kiss game, right?" he loudly questioned her. Pema sharply called his name, but Korra laughed warmly.

"Actually, no I didn't, Meelo, but that doesn't mean I won't try to make him play it with me later."

Meelo dry heaved and quickly put as much distance between him and Korra as he could while all of the females present started to laugh. Silence settled over the room again as Pema handed a cup full of light green liquid to Korra, the Avatar meeting the older woman's eyes. Pema smiled in a knowing way and winked at Korra, then she turned back around to her children as Jinora announced that the batter was ready to be poured. The Avatar didn't wait long before her feet carried her out of the kitchen and back down the hall.

She was still several rooms away when she heard a muffled scream of pain coming from Kai. It destroyed the last threads of restraint she had and she charged the rest of the way down the hall. Tenzin opened the door before Korra could kick it down, his hand already in the air in gesture for her to stop.

"We had to properly line up the bone to splint it, that's all," Tenzin said to her.

From behind him, Kai croaked, "I'm fine!"

"We're almost done, just wait a bit more," the Airbender said, then he promptly shut the door, keeping Korra from being able to glimpse inside the room. She let out a soft growl, but obediently waited outside.

Her eyes fell to the green liquid still in her hand, and she lifted it to her nose to give it a curious sniff. It took everything she had to keep from dropping the tonic on the floor after the noxious fumes hit her, Korra gagging and holding the cup as far away from her as her arm would allow. _I'm sorry for this one, Kai_ she thought meekly. Her attention turned back to the door when she heard voices picking up and she leaned closer in an effort to discern words. The door opened again, Tenzin standing aside to finally allow Korra entry into the room.

Korra rushed past, shoving the cup of disgusting tonic into Tenzin's hands on the way in, much to the Airbending master's distaste. Kai sat up from where he had been laying on the bed, looking extremely exhausted now but he still managed to smile at Korra. The doctor handed Kai a pouch of powder and said, "Mix a pinch into hot tea and it will help with the pain."

Kai nodded gratefully, and Tenzin patted the woman's shoulder in thanks. "I'll have one of the White Lotus members take you back to the mainland," Tenzin said, glaring at Korra while he set the cup of sleep tonic down on a bedside table before leading the physician out.

After the door shut behind them, Kai let out a deep breath. "Did I mention I hate doctors?" he said with a half grin. Korra laughed lightly, sitting on the bed by the Firebender as he picked up the tonic. He gave it a sniff and grimaced, but after taking a breath, he downed the entire cup. A strong shudder ran through his body after he swallowed, and gladly he handed the empty cup to the Avatar.

"That is possibly the worst thing I've ever tasted," Kai said as Korra leaned forward to put the cup down. When she again settled her back against the wall, Kai laid down on the bed and placed his head on Korra's lap, taking off his hat and tossing it aside. Korra was surprised, but she smiled and lightly trailed her fingers through white hair. Kai shut his eyes with a soft sigh, already starting to feel the effects of the tonic wash over him.

In the following peaceful quiet, Korra murmured, "You know, there are so many things I want to ask you, but for the life of me I can't remember a single one right now."

Kai parted his eyes as he replied in an equally hushed tone, "There are a lot of things I want to tell you, but funny thing is, I can't think of a single one right now."

They smiled at each other, and again Kai shut his eyes. Korra pulled off his golden framed glasses and stroked the soft curve of Kai's cheek with a tender fingertip, the Firebender already breathing deeply from sleep. The Avatar spent the rest of the night in that position, keeping a watchful vigil over the Moon-blessed Firebender while he slept deeper and better than he ever had before.

* * *

"Where the hell are you bastards taking me?" the battered Firebender snapped. He received another blow to the face and he turned to spit out more blood. After taking a brutal beating from the Avatar, the Firebender thug who had broken Kai's arm had been quickly scooped up and dragged away into the shadows of the city's industrial district.

One of the men holding his arms behind him gave his wrist a nasty twist and spoke over the bender's hiss of pain, "Have some respect, you piece of garbage. Amon himself is going to have a word with you about that little fight you picked today."

The Firebender sat up straight in fear. He hadn't seen the men holding him, nor had he been conscious to notice where he had been taken, but now he recognized the Equality posters hanging up all around him. Suddenly a furiously bright spotlight was turned on, aimed straight at him to blind him and caused him to release a cry of surprise.

He heard laughter erupt all around him, and viciously he shouted, "Damn you all, you cowards! Stop using these pussy tricks and face me like real men!" The response he received was the sound of a metal pipe rolling towards him. He looked down to see the same pipe he had used earlier, Kai's blood still staining its surface, and he felt his panic rise even more. "What do you want?" he cried, his voice giving out as the last of his false bravado vanished.

A smooth voice slowly tisked him beyond the light and made the Firebender's skin crawl. Amon's voice commanded all attention as he clearly spoke, "You made a poor choice today, bender. You speak of cowardice as if you're some kind of hero, yet you resort to using a primitive weapon such as this to try and one-up someone who's stronger than you."

Amon picked up the blood covered pipe as he mentioned it, the Firebender squinting to see the outline of the masked man. "Heh, I didn't think the great Amon cared about a little street brawl between benders," the thug spat.

The retaliation was instantaneous, Amon striking the thug's head hard with the metal pipe in his hand. "You obviously have no idea of the caliber of that Firebender you were trying to control, but that's okay. It won't matter soon."

The thug's head swam in pain and he emptied the contents of his stomach onto his lap. Amon tisked him again and added, "I do hope that no one will try to repeat your foolish choice, because that Firebender you injured today..." His voice dropped to an eerie intimate pitch, Amon leaning down to whisper into the thug's ear, "..._will be mine_."

The Firebender's screams echoed throughout the high ceilings of the warehouse as Amon grasped the base of his skull, brought his other hand down, and pressed his thumb against the thug's bloodied forehead.

* * *

Over the next several weeks, Kai and Korra spent little time apart while Kai's arm healed, and the Avatar saw many different sides of the Firebender. Most of the time, Kai seemed carefree and happy, nearly fooling Korra into thinking that everything was picture-perfect. However, there were also those few moments when the Firebender was at the breaking point, his tears soaking Korra's shirt as she held him.

True to her word, the Avatar did not let him suffer alone, Korra doing whatever she could to make sure he knew that she was still there with him. Though Korra had tried many times to get Kai to actually open up to her, to tell her _anything_ about him or his past, there were still solid barriers that the Firebender kept around his heart. Sometimes Korra could see an ache within Kai's eyes that told her he wanted to let her in, but something always seemed to stop him right before that crucial moment.

Korra's determination did not wane, though, and every day she made it a point to see Kai's warm and sincere smile. She told him stories of her childhood, back at the Southern Water Tribe, and about her numerous adventures thwarting the White Lotus members and escaping out of the training compound. She told him about the time when she had first found her polarbeardog Naga, and about how she had tamed the mighty animal. Korra had noticed that whenever she would speak of her old life in the frozen tundras of her homeland, a profound sadness would overcome the small Firebender, but he would not explain why when Korra asked.

It was during one of these conversations on a warm afternoon that Korra finally spoke up about what she had suspected for a long time. "So you're from the Northern Water Tribe, right?"

Kai let out a deeply rooted sigh. He had been expecting this conversation to happen sooner or later and he was tired of holding everything inside. In shame, he turned his head away from Korra as he spoke, "Yes... I was born there, in our nation's capitol."

"Where the sacred pool and the spirits of the ocean and moon are," Korra filled in.

She could see Kai start to shake, the Firebender struggling with many painful emotions and memories. Still without looking in Korra's direction, Kai at last let his first barrier fall before her, "My family was once a very honored and prestigious line of master Waterbenders dating back countless generations. Our blood was pure; only Waterbenders had ever been born, and very powerful ones at that. My father can change the flow of rivers, alter the tides, and even mastered control over terrible monsoons."

Korra sat back in surprise at this, but she stayed quiet as Kai continued, "He was well known, well respected, and well loved by our people in the capitol. At least until I was born and ruined _everything_ that made my family's heritage great." Kai savagely bit his tongue at this point, an effort to stem a sob that tried to escape.

He took a shaky breath and went on in a strained whisper, "I was born to Selina and Zakro, my mother and father, and the last born of three children. Both of my older brothers, Bozelm the Firstborn and Rykko the Secondborn, were already making our father proud with their potential and ease of learning how to bend water even at young ages... But not me."

His voice gave out and he trembled violently as the first sob tore its way out of him. Korra moved, pulling Kai to her body in a familiar and comforting embrace. It took a few minutes before Kai had enough control over his breathing to keep speaking, "I learned the forms easily, mastered all of the motions faster than either of my brothers had, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not bend a single drop of water. Things would be fine if I was simply a non-bender like my mother, but that wasn't the case.

"When I was around four years old, I firebended for the first time... and accidentally burned my mother. It wasn't a severe injury and my father healed it with no effort, but things would never be the same after that."

He pulled free of Korra's grasp and met her eyes. "My father is certain that I am a curse to my family, and he's right. He should have killed me then, but my mother convinced him to bless me within the waters of the sacred pool. So he tried to do just that..." His voice dropped for a moment and he cleared his throat, again turning away from Korra to hide the shame and hurt in his eyes from her.

"I was so young when it happened, so I didn't fully understand that he was trying to cleanse the taint within me. I struggled against him and in my panic I burned him pretty badly. It was then that my father, in a rage, submerged me in the pure waters of the sacred pool... and drowned me."

Korra couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her, and she realized that she was crying. Kai shook as well with tears, but his weak voice finally brought his story to its end, "My mother told me that after I died, my father left my body in the sacred pool to go get help and claim it as an accident. While he was gone, the Moon Spirit for some reason brought me back with its blessing. I don't understand why it did that, because I am not worthy at all like Princess Yue.

"By the time my father came back with others, I was alive and my hair white with the proof of the Moon Spirit's gift. It also changed the color that my fire burns when I bend. The elders of the council looked into the entire incident and questioned me about it, and my father was found guilty of murdering his own child. He was banished and our prestigious family name forever tarnished. All because of _me_.

"He made a promise before he was escorted from our homelands that he will hunt me down and he will end my bastard existence for good. My brothers sided with him, and they tried to carry out his revenge... My mother saved me from their wrath and helped me escape from my own home, and I have been running ever since."

Absolute silence followed the wake of Kai's words. Korra had no idea what to say to the Firebender now, but she welcomed him back into her embrace when he moved towards her. The Avatar never imagined that the truth of how Kai became Moon blessed would be such a horrible tragedy, but Korra felt closer to Kai now than ever before.

She let out a shuddering sigh and said, "You and your father are both wrong. Your life is not a curse, Kai, and even though you don't see your true worth... I do, and so does the Moon Spirit. I am gonna prove to you that you deserve that blessing and you deserve to live your life, just like all of us do."

Korra held him tighter to her, her body trembling under the force of the clashing emotions she felt inside of her. She pressed her face into white hair as she murmured, "I want you here, Kai, now and always. Your life means something to me. Something important. Don't ever forget that...!" The Firebender curled his arms around her shaking waist in silent promise.

"I don't know what I've done to deserve such devotion from you... but I'm glad," Kai whispered to her.

Korra pulled away from the Firebender's white hair to reply, "Sometimes we can't control how our hearts feel." Kai met Korra's gaze and the truth of Korra's feelings was obvious to see. She really did care about Kai, and as much as the Firebender had tried to fight it, he could feel his own heart beat in harmony with hers.

"You know, you are completely right about that," Kai whispered faintly, the compelling expression from Korra quickening his heart's pulse. The Avatar's breath caught short, the two leaning in closer together, trembling lips so near to completion...

"_**Korra!**_"

Kai instantly jerked away and Korra turned to see a very angry and red-faced Tenzin.

"_What do you think you're doing?_" Tenzin shouted.

Korra was about to reply, but she realized that the Airbender had directed it towards Kai, not her. She looked back to see the most painful expression Kai had ever worn. He jumped to his feet, backing away from the Avatar as he said, "I-I'm sorry, I really tried to avoid this..."

Tenzin stepped closer, his rage full-throttled. "_Have you even told her the truth about you?_"

All Kai could manage now was a small shake of his head, tears streaming from shame-filled eyes.

"I didn't think so! That's _absolutely_ outrageous, I seriously believed you were better than that!"

Korra shot to her feet, in total disbelief of Tenzin's disgust. "What the hell is going on?" she screamed, confused and angry at Tenzin's behavior.

"Why don't you ask _him_?" the Airbender said. Korra's blue eyes fell on Kai.

The Firebender opened his mouth to speak, but it took several breaths before any sound came forth. "I... I can't..." He turned and made a mad dash for the nearest tree line.

Korra turned on Tenzin. "Really? Why did you just **do **that? What does it matter to you who I want to kiss?"

Tenzin earnestly shook his head. "Korra, you don't understand the situation. That Firebender is blatantly lying to your face and I will not stand by quietly and allow such... such atrocities to take place!"

"Explain it to me, then! Make me understand so I don't completely lose my cool right now!"

Tenzin glared at the tree line where Kai had vanished, the Airbender seriously considering that option, but he only shook his head. "No, no. I promised Kai that I wouldn't tell you, and I am an honorable man. I will not tarnish that as easily as that Firebender."

"_Rrrrrrrrgghhhhh!_" With fire streaming in the wake of her breath, Korra turned her back on Tenzin and followed Kai's path into the forest.

_Chapter 3 End~_


	4. Ch 4: Misleading Motivations

Chapter 4: Misleading Motivations

Korra called out Kai's name repeatedly as she ran through the trees. At one point, Korra came to a stop to listen to the sounds around her. Her ears first picked out the constant rhythm of water rolling against the shores of the island, and then the calls of countless insects. The Avatar turned her head a bit and easily discerned the faint noises of someone crying nearby.

"Kai…" Korra murmured before she made her way to the Firebender. Kai sat with his back against one of the tallest trees and his face hidden behind his hands. When he heard Korra approaching, his head snapped up and he looked into her blue eyes. "Kai, what's going on with you? What… what are you hiding from me?" the Avatar asked. She was almost afraid to know the answer, but after Tenzin's angry reaction, Korra could not ignore the matter.

The Firebender wiped his eyes, but it was a futile effort. When he replied, he couldn't keep the tremor out of his voice, "I told you that no good will come of this for either of us…" He bit his lip and fought with his own frightened heart to get the words to come out. Kai stood up on his feet as Korra took one step closer, the Firebender unable to look at the fear in those blue eyes.

"Korra… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for things to go this far between us, but they have. It's not right for me to continue keeping this away from you, a-and if afterward you d-don't…" His words stumbled into a brief silence and he let a sob escape before he could go on in a small voice, "…If you don't want me around anymore, I will go…"

Korra shook her head with her response, "I already said that I want you around, always. I still mean that…" The Avatar stepped closer to Kai so she could embrace him, but he drew away from her and the motion caused a sad pain within Korra's heart.

Kai hugged his arms around himself for support and he finally admitted to Korra his biggest secret of all, "I'm not who you think I am… When I had to leave my home and start running, I decided to hide behind a false identity so if word of me got around, no one would know who I am, and my father and brothers won't be able to easily find me. I thought of a few different identities I could hide in, and ultimately I chose to disguise myself as a boy…"

For a moment Korra didn't register Kai's words, but once it all sank in Korra felt her blood run cold. She studied the Firebender in light of Kai's confession and suddenly it was very obvious to see. "No… no, it can't be true…" Korra whispered in defiance even though she already knew. Her disbelief lasted only a few more breaths and then exploded into raw anger.

She clenched her fists tightly to the point that they violently trembled and she screamed, "How the hell could you just keep hiding that from me? For this long! What were you thinking?"

"Please, Korra! I wanted to tell you before this, but-"

"But you didn't! You _didn't_ tell me, and now I…" She choked on a sob and had to catch her breath to speak again, "If you really cared about me, you wouldn't have just lead me on! You can't do that to someone you care about and who cares about you! It's so wrong!"

"It wasn't my intention to fall in love with you, and it wasn't my intention for you to fall in love with me! It just kind of happened!"

Korra shook her head. Tears streamed down her face, but her expression was angry as she harshly whispered, "There is no way in hell I could ever be in love with a _girl_."

The Firebender's head dropped in painful shame.

Korra turned her back on Kai and she stared at the water from between the trees. "I want you to go," the Avatar flatly said. She didn't look back when she heard Kai walking away, but Korra's heart ached in a way that she had never felt before.

The last words that the Firebender said drove a sharper pain right through Korra's heart, "I told you I'm a curse…"

* * *

Korra stayed in the forest until well after night had fallen, then she slowly made her way back to the Airbender home. Quietly she entered the house with the sole idea of getting to her room before anyone could see her puffy red eyes, but Pema intercepted her in the hallway.

"Korra…" the older woman said with sympathy in her voice, "I know you don't want to talk right now, but I just wanted to tell you that I will be here to listen whenever you are ready."

"Did Tenzin tell you what happened already?" the Avatar questioned.

Pema nodded and replied, "Yes, he told me everything."

"Then there's nothing to talk about. I can't love another girl, it's as simple as that." Korra slumped as she said this, that deep pain piercing her heart again.

A disapproving frown touched Pema's lips. "You don't honestly believe that, do you?"

Korra met Pema's steady gaze as the Avatar replied, "In the words of Tenzin, it's an atrocity. What else matters? He's right."

Pema could not stop the chuckle and she replied, "You've got a bit to learn, Korra, if you think that Tenzin is right. When it comes to affairs of the heart and the feelings it holds, happiness and love always matter." She leaned closer to add in a soft whisper, "And if you find that your heart aches deep down inside, that means you still care a lot about Kai."

Korra drew back as she earnestly shook her head in protest. "No! It only hurts because Kai lied to me! I will never be in love with another girl!" Tears welled up from the Avatar's already burning eyes and she turned away from Pema. "It doesn't matter now anyway. I sent Kai away. Now I just want to forget about this entire disaster…"

The Air acolyte gently grasped Korra's hand to stop her from walking away and said, "Please don't shut yourself away from your emotions. Kai asked me to tell you that before she left today. She really cares about you and she only wants you to be happy no matter what, but that can't happen if you shut down."

Korra studied Pema's expression for a long moment and finally gave a nod. "I won't, but right now I don't want to feel anything. I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Pema." The older woman released Korra's hand and watched the heartbroken girl disappear around a corner. Once the young Avatar was gone, Pema set off to find Tenzin with determination blazing in her eyes.

One way or another, he was going to learn some tolerance and the importance of love, no matter what form it took.

* * *

Alone and in a state of emotional numbness, Kai aimlessly wandered the streets of Republic City. Even though night had already fallen, the Firebender didn't care about seeking out an inn to sleep. Instead, she simply collapsed against the wall of an empty building when her body became too exhausted to keep walking.

What was she going to do now? Her purple gaze dropped to stare at her hands that were clenched into fists. Of course she already knew what she was going to do. With Korra's rejection to her, Kai knew that she was going to fulfill the reason that had brought her to Republic City in the first place. The Avatar didn't care about her anymore, so Kai would find Amon and hopefully be cleansed of her taint at last.

That was all she had left for her now.

The last thing Kai thought about before her body's exhaustion pulled her into darkness was the sensation of being within Korra's warm and comforting embrace. It was still her absolute favorite place in the world to be.

* * *

The Chi blocker entered the dark room where Amon waited to hear the report. The masked man shut off the radio as the Chi blocker approached and knelt to the floor before him. Amon gestured for the man to rise, and the Chi blocker stood up again as he said, "The Firebender is back in Republic City, and he's alone. The Avatar is still on the island. Should we commence with the capture plan?"

Amon did not respond right away, musing over the information from the Chi blocker's report. He sat back in his chair and his icy velvet voice finally replied, "Yes. Go and prepare your men for the task. It's almost time for me to meet this Firebender face-to-mask."

The Chi blocker nodded and quickly left Amon alone in the room. When the door shut behind him, Amon laughed darkly and said, "Once I have you, bender, I will make sure that everyone knows of your power, then I will rip it right out of you for the entire world to see. The time for benders is drawing to its final conclusion. It starts with the moon-blessed Firebender, and it will end with the Avatar."

* * *

His breath came heavily as he crested the steep hill, where he paused to take in the scenery before him. The bright lights of Republic City pierced the darkness of night and shone to him like a beacon.

"Finally..." he whispered while clenching his fists. "Finally here. All I need to do now is track down that bastard Amon and take him out." These were bold words coming from the brunette Earthbender, but after weeks of hard travel from his home of Ba Sing Se, he was eager to complete his plan of revenge.

His hand reached up to gently grasp an old Earth Kingdom medallion tied around his neck, the only thing that the Earthbender had left of his father. While still cradling the medallion in his hand, his green eyes narrowed with intense focus and his breathing became steady once more. Releasing the medallion necklace, the brunette Earthbender began the descent from the hilltop towards the glimmering lights of Republic City. He estimated that he would reach the outskirts of the city sometime after sunrise.

"Amon... I'm coming for you..."

* * *

Dawn was still several hours away by the time Kai stirred. At first the Firebender wasn't sure why she had woken up, but when she sat up she heard movement all around her. Just as the shadows started to close in, the small Firebender jumped while kicking out. Bright purple-white flames shot away from her and revealed several men fully covered from head to toe. They stared at her with eerie green night-vision goggles and advanced towards her.

With the wall against her back, Kai had no way to escape. The only option left was to fight. She had instinctively taken a mental count when her fire illuminated the figures and came up with nine. Although she knew the odds were heavily stacked against her, she wasn't going to just surrender.

The circle was closing in on her and there was no time left to think. Kai lashed out with several quick punches, purple-white flames flaring towards several of the moving shadows, but they effortlessly avoided every lick of fire. It didn't even slow them down and Kai started to panic.

She dropped low to the ground to sweep her leg around and released a long curve of fire, but in unison the shadow men jumped over the half ring of purple-white. One of them rushed Kai, forcing the Firebender to focus her efforts on him alone. She deferred him with a well aimed blast of fire and broke his night-vision goggles, but too late she realized her mistake as another came up behind her.

Kai attempted to turn to fend him off, but an overwhelming jolt of electricity shot through her body from the base of her spine and crumpled her to the concrete with a cry. Her vision blacked out and before her consciousness followed, she heard one of the shadows say, "Tie him up quickly! Amon is waiting…"

* * *

Tenzin woke up late the next morning with a pounding headache. He had been up for most of the night because Pema refused to let him sleep until he listened to her lecture on love and its importance, no matter what form it took. Now, Tenzin felt like the biggest jerk in the world for being so close-minded and he wasn't sure if he could ever make it up to both Korra and Kai.

He rubbed his burning eyes and sighed. "Father, I imagine that you would have accepted that sort of thing with an open heart, instead of behaving like a child," the Airbending master mumbled.

"Well, at least you've taken a step in the right direction," Pema said from the doorway.

Tenzin smiled at his wife, but it was fleeting. "What am I going to do now?" he wondered out loud.

"For starters, you need to convince Korra that the way she feels _isn't_ an atrocity, and from there you owe a few apologies."

Pema grinned as Tenzin haughtily replied, "I know all of that already. It was just a rhetorical question."

The Air acolyte laughed. "Get dressed, then, and hop to it!"

A few minutes later, Tenzin knocked on Korra's bedroom door. "Korra? May I come in? We need to talk…" Silence answered him. A few more moments passed and then Tenzin knocked again. "Korra?" Still no response. The Airbender opened the door to peer inside and saw that the room was empty.

He shut the door and turned to search the rest of the house, but Ikki and Jinora both blocked his path. "If you're looking for Korra, you won't find her in there~!" Ikki sang.

"Uh, yes I can see that, Ikki, thank you… But do you know where she is?" Tenzin asked.

Ikki opened her mouth to answer but Jinora beat her to the punch this time. "She left this morning to go into the city and find Kai. I asked her why, and she said that even though he lied to her, she still wants to help him."

Ikki stared up at their father with her head slightly tilted and she asked, "What did Kai lie about, daddy?"

Tenzin answered before he realized what she had asked, "Kai lied about being a boy."

Instantly both of his daughters beamed at him and Tenzin found himself wishing that he had not gotten out of bed.

"_Wow_, I had no idea! Kai does it so well!" Jinora said as Ikki spoke at the same time, "Girls can _do_ that!"

Tenzin pointed a finger at the two. "Don't get any funny ideas…" he warned.

Both Ikki and Jinora said in unison, "Too late!" The Airbender sighed.

* * *

The sun brightly lit the day, but its warmth did nothing to penetrate the cold that Korra felt. The girl was exhausted in more ways than one. She had spent half the night tossing and turning while trying to ignore her thoughts, and the other half lost within devastating nightmares of Amon granting Kai's wish. By the time dawn struck her room, Korra had decided that she couldn't let Kai throw her bending abilities away. Even though Kai's lie hurt her deeply, the thought of Amon blocking her bending hurt even more.

_ I can't let that happen… I can't be with you, but I can't let you hurt yourself like this, either. I shouldn't have forced you to leave…_ She gently rubbed one of her tired eyes and groaned. Though it seemed like a good idea a few hours ago, Korra now felt the overwhelming weight of trying to locate one Firebender within the immensity of Republic City.

A small thought crossed her mind that made her release a bitter laugh. _I should have learned my lesson about trying to find someone in Republic City after the last time I searched for Kai._ She stopped walking for a moment as another idea came to her. _Duh! Why didn't I think of this sooner? Naga can track down just about anyone…_

Korra turned on her heel with the intent of going back to the island, but a loud trembling boom drew her attention. From one street over, Korra heard a commotion and people shouting, so she set off to investigate. Whatever was going on, it was powerful enough to make the surrounding buildings shake. As she got closer she realized that the buildings were quaking against the force of an unrestrained Earthbender, and she now heard frantic screaming. Korra broke out into a run and turned a corner.

The sight of chaos greeted her and she slowed to a stop in surprise. The entire street was now nothing more than piles of rubble, upturned vehicles, and people scrambling to get away. Her gaze was drawn to a lone figure standing in the middle of the debris when he screamed out, "Where is that bastard hiding? I'm gonna tear him _apart_!" The Earthbender jumped and then lashed out with two solid fists in sequence, and the ground was quick to respond.

The earth rolled away from him like a wave of water that sent vehicles and people flying. Korra's jaw set, and as the wave of earth came for her, she dashed forward several steps and launched herself over it with some earthbending of her own. She had no idea who the brunette Earthbender was or who he was searching for, but the Avatar did know that she couldn't allow his angry rampage to continue.

"Stop!" she called out, but her voice only drew his fighting focus to her. With a low grunt he stomped the ground to rip free sharp earth spikes and he kicked them in her direction. Korra jumped to add force for her swing and she hammered both fists into the ground. A huge chunk of earth leaped up in reply, and Korra quickly stood up with her hands still clenched. The spikes of earth shattered against Korra's massive shield, and after the last one fell, she drew her fists towards her chest. With a solid motion, Korra pulled her hands apart and the boulder she held split in half. She punched with her right hand and then her left in quick succession, sending both chunks flying towards the rampaging Earthbender.

The brunette let out a scream as he squared his feet on the earth and demolished one of the chunks with a solid punch. He didn't count on the second being so close behind and he was knocked backwards, but a quick and decisive kick crumbled the second chunk so it wouldn't land on him.

While he was still on the ground, Korra charged forward and closed the distance between them. The Earthbender rolled onto his feet just as Korra slammed a fist into the ground where his head had just been. She used her current position and shifted her weight to her hands so she could deliver a vicious fire kick. Surprised, the Earthbender jumped backwards to escape the flames but he stumbled over the rubble, which sent him crashing onto the ground again. The Avatar kept moving with the momentum of her kick and completed the motion, her feet swinging over her head until she could land on them upright again.

She turned around to face the Earthbender just as familiar air horns sounded from above. Korra glanced up to see one of the city's police airships right on top of them, but they had no time to react. Long whips of metal shot down and easily ensnared both the Avatar and the Earthbender in the same breath. Korra let out a vicious snarl as they were pulled into the air.

Why had she gotten involved? She didn't have time to waste sitting around in a metal room to be asked a bunch of pointless questions! "Dammit!" she swore while she thrashed against her bonds. The Earthbender looked at her with some bewilderment, but before he could say anything Korra managed to rip free one of her hands. Blue eyes glared hatefully at the air ship that they were being pulled up to, and Korra tightly grasped one of the metal cords.

With as much strength as she could muster from her rage, she savagely yanked on the metal whip. There was a surprised cry from above and the air ship suddenly lurched to the side when the Metalbender on the other end of that cord grabbed the doorway to keep himself in the safety of the air ship's passenger compartment. However, Korra's aggression had done the trick and a few more of the metal cords around her body loosened. The brunette Earthbender watched in stunned wonderment as Korra gave one final twist of her body and freed herself from her bonds. She landed easily on the roof of a factory building that the ship had just started to fly over and she made a mad dash for the nearby door.

"Oh no, I _don't think so, Avatar!_" a familiar and commanding voice called from overhead. The Earthbender scarcely looked up in time when someone jumped off of the airship and fired a length of metal cord as an anchor into the wall of the air ship's passenger compartment. Korra glanced up to see the chief of the police force coming for her. The armor-clad woman aimed her still free hand down at the roof and fired another length of metal. It embedded into the roof and stiffened up enough to slow her downward swing. She landed perfectly on the roof in between Korra and the door and instantly pulled back both of the metal cords from where they had been anchored.

From above, the brunette Earthbender whooped loudly and said, "I gotta learn how to do _that_!"

"What the hell are you doing, Korra? Didn't we go through this same mess during your _very first day_ in my city? Oooh, Tenzin won't be able to wave his authority around to get you out of this one!"

Korra didn't verbally reply. Instead she charged towards Lin BeiFong with her fists held at her sides. The chief lashed out with a metal cord, but Korra twisted just enough to avoid her body being ensnared while one of her fists shot forward so the metal would wrap around her forearm. Lin let out a short huff and swung with her other hand, but this metal cord also missed its intended target when Korra let her other arm deter it.

"What the fu-" Lin's expletive was cut short as the Avatar ran right up to her and then _over _her. Korra used the chief's body as a launching pad and kicked off of an armored shoulder to leap high. Her body spun gracefully through the air and she grit her teeth just before yanking the metal cords wrapped around her forearms, which caused the metal to dig painfully into her skin. She had enough momentum to actually lift Lin up into the air, and as Korra landed right by the door she spun around and swung her arms to manipulate Lin's fall back to the roof instead of off the building's edge.

The metal cords loosened enough after this motion for Korra to yank free, and then the Avatar was gone into the building before Lin even landed again. The police chief landed hard enough to lose her air, granting Korra precious seconds to get a head start and vanish among the numerous workers inside.

Lin gasped for a few seconds before she could move again, and angrily she sat up and shouted to her officers, "I want three of you to come down here and help me catch her! Everyone else get back to headquarters and book that Earthbender! I'll question him when I return with the Avatar in custody…"

_Chapter 4 End~_


	5. Ch 5: Conflicting Crossroads

Chapter 5: Conflicting Crossroads

Her entire body ached in a way she had never felt before when she finally came to. It took all of the energy she could muster just to lift her head, and Kai uttered a pained breath. _I never want to be electrocuted again_ she numbly thought as she tried to squint and see her surroundings. Her glasses were gone and when she tried to move her arms, she realized that chains held her hands stretched painfully over her head. Even if she had her glasses, they wouldn't have helped to pierce the total darkness that surrounded her.

She let her head drop back down without a word. What did it matter anyway? She didn't really care what became of her now because she felt like her entire existence was a mistake to begin with. She didn't even flinch when a velvet voice spoke to her from the darkness, "It seems odd that you don't put up a fight at all. Usually benders who wake up in your position are ready to throw their so-called power around. Why is it that you do not?"

Kai let out a short and aggrieved laugh before she replied, "Because I have _nothing_ to fight for."

"Not even your bending?"

For a moment, Korra's smiling face flashed through Kai's mind, but she forced it away and replied hollowly, "No."

She heard footsteps approach her until she could make out the blurred outline of a white mask, "Tell me, what is it that you _do_ desire?"

The moon-blessed Firebender lifted her pounding head to look evenly upon the mask of Amon and replied, "To be cured. To stand by your side and help purify this world for the benefit of future generations."

Again Korra's beautiful smile filled Kai's mind, but Amon's harsh laugh shattered the image. "What makes you think that I will allow a bender to join my revolution?"

Kai's head bowed in familiar shame as she replied, "Because bending is a _curse_, and I understand that better than any other bender. I _want_ to be cleansed of this poison."

Amon stepped back into the darkness as he mused on the Firebender's words. After a long silence, the masked man asked, "How can I know that you _are_ being honest?"

Kai gathered every ounce of energy that her painful body had and threw herself against her chains as she screamed, "I will do _whatever it takes_ to prove it!"

The masked man stepped to her and knelt before Kai, slipping her golden framed specs onto her face and he said, "Then I have a task for you, and you will need your unique bending to complete it. Once you have proven to me your devotion to my cause without a doubt, I will cleanse your soul of your taint and make you a good and decent human being, just like me."

* * *

Korra was breathless by the time she landed on Air Temple Island from propelling herself across the water with her bending. She paused on the shore long enough to catch her breath, then she rushed to the stable where Naga was eating her lunch.

As she whistled for her polarbeardog, Ikki approached her riding an orb of swirling air. "Ooh, Korra, daddy is _really_ mad at you! He just…"

The young Airbender's words were cut short as Tenzin loudly interjected, "Korra! The police just called me asking about your location! You destroyed an _entire city block_!" The Avatar thrust a palm up into his face to stop him.

"It was only one street, and I didn't do most of the damage! It was some crazed Earthbender boy, but it's fine now, they arrested him," Korra said matter-of-factly.

Naga galloped to Korra's side as Tenzin sputtered, "And you resisted arrest and _fled_! I was told you tried to throw Lin off of a roof! Ikki, don't look so impressed by that!"

Korra angrily glared at Tenzin while holding up her still cut arms. "Someone is greatly mistaken, because I made sure to yank Lin so her fall would land _on_ the roof! Now if you don't mind, I _need to find Kai_!" The Water Tribe girl climbed onto the back of her waiting polarbeardog and Tenzin rubbed the bridge of his nose in aggravation.

"I can't let you go back alone, Korra, or Lin will have you locked away for years… I will meet you at the ferry port across the water." Their eyes met for a moment with grim understanding, then Korra urged Naga forth for the swim ahead and Tenzin turned to go saddle Oogi up.

"Ooh, _ooh_, daddy-"

"_**No**_," Tenzin firmly denied Ikki permission to tag along before the young girl even had the chance to voice her question. The young Airbender stuck out her bottom lip in an angry pout and whipped up another air scooter orb to go find Jinora.

* * *

"Tenzin! I'm going to go ahead and assume that you aren't here to do the _right_ thing and turn over the Avatar, are you?" Lin asked with her arms crossed. She had been waiting at the port where she knew Korra would return, but the Avatar was still crossing the water with Naga.

The Airbender let out a tense breath and said, "You have to believe me when I say that this is complicated and bigger than both of us…" Lin's expression was a proverbial one of disbelief, but she gestured for Tenzin to go on. "Well, you remember that firebending fight that took place several weeks ago-"

"Yes, the one that I recall _you_ flew away from on your air bison before you could be properly questioned."

Tenzin put up a hand in silent permission to continue. The police chief huffed but let him go on, "There was a unique bender who changed the color of the fire."

Lin nodded and thoughtfully traced her bottom lip as she put in, "The reports said that a teenaged boy was actually redirecting the fire from other benders… So I'm guessing you smuggled him away before my officers could question him, huh? You've got some nerve."

"Lin, please. That Firebender _needs_ to be protected… He's blessed by the Moon Spirit."

For a moment Lin studied Tenzin's expression, then said, "You're being serious, aren't you? Well that's _fantastic_ and all, but that has nothing to do with me detaining Korra for that _mess_ she's made today."

"Actually it does… Korra needs to locate Kai, the Firebender, because he ran off yesterday to find Amon. You can't arrest Korra because we need her and Naga to find Kai before it's too late. Think about it for a moment: what kind of chaos would result if a spirit-blessed bender falls under Amon's power?" Behind Tenzin he heard the splashes that marked Korra's arrival, and Lin's light colored eyes scrutinized the Water Tribe girl as she approached with her huge polarbeardog at her side.

The Airbender knew that the police chief still wasn't completely on-board with him, so he stroked his blue arrow on his head as he added, "I will find a way to take care of the damages to the city, Lin, so please… Help us out."

The Metalbender let out an aggravated growl, but she at last nodded. "One condition," she said while jabbing a finger in Korra's direction, "I expect you to come to my headquarters with this Firebender, because you have a _lot_ of explaining to do. Are we clear?"

Korra nodded earnestly and she climbed onto Naga's back, "Yes ma'am, we're crystal clear. And thank you."

"Hmmph, don't thank me yet, you're still in a hell of a lot of trouble, young lady," Lin growled before she turned away and gave a wave to dismiss the officers with her.

From atop Naga, Korra glanced down at Tenzin and asked, "Did you find anything?"

The Airbender produced a pillowcase from a pouch around his waist as he replied, "She didn't leave anything behind, but this should suffice."

"Naga," Korra urged as Tenzin held out the cloth. The polarbeardog took a deep whiff of the pillowcase, then she sampled the nearby ground and air. After a few tense moments, Naga let out a soft yip and took off down a street opposite of where Lin and her officers had gone.

Tenzin airbended to add lift to his leap, and with expert ease he landed on Oogi and urged the air bison up to follow Korra from the air. The polarbeardog led them through a winding path across the city without any real direction and it sent a well-known jab of pain through the Avatar's heart. Their long route took them into an empty area of the city, the residents run off quite some time ago from the rising gang activity of the city, and Naga came to a stop beside an empty building. She sniffed around for many moments before she whimpered and laid down, her way of signaling that the trail had ended.

Korra slipped down to the ground and searched the area as Tenzin landed nearby. Immediately Korra could see scorch marks on the concrete, remnants of Kai's low sweeping kick, and then something glinted and caught Korra's eye. She bent to scoop the object up, and Tenzin reached her as she stood up straight again. Her breath was catching short, so she couldn't immediately answer Tenzin when he asked her what she had found.

Instead, she turned to him and dropped something green onto his waiting palm. He took one look at it and instantly recognized it as a broken piece of night-vision goggles. He met the raw horror in Korra's wide blue eyes. It didn't need to be vocalized between them because they both already knew: Amon had Kai.

"M-maybe she got away," Korra said feebly, but Tenzin gestured to the nearby tread marks of vehicles peeling out away from the area.

"We should go talk to Lin. With the help of her and the police force, we can find Kai."

Korra barely registered his words; she was too wrapped up in thoughts of Amon taking Kai's bending away, of hurting her for being blessed by a spirit, or worse. The only thing that tore her away from the terror of her mind was Tenzin's steady grip on her shoulder.

When she met his eyes, he said, "Let's go to Lin. This isn't over yet, Korra."

_Or maybe it already is_ the Avatar numbly thought as she climbed onto Naga's back. She directed the animal on a mad dash through the city, ignoring the angry shouts of citizens as Naga leaped over them or pushed past squealing vehicles. Korra's only goal was focused on getting to the headquarters of the police.

_Over or not, I am coming to get you, Kai, and I will never let you go again_.

* * *

Lin had just barely sat down in an interrogation room with the brunette Earthbender when one of her officers slid open part of the metal wall to speak, "Chief, High Councilman Tenzin and the Avatar are here to…"

"Enough with the formalities, just let us in already!" Korra's exasperated voice said from behind the officer. Lin let out a deeply frustrated sigh, but signaled for her officer to let them in. The steel wall slid apart without a sound, and Korra rushed in with Tenzin close behind.

The Water Tribe girl dropped the broken piece of the night-vision goggles onto the table before Lin and said, "We're out of time. Amon has her already."

An eyebrow quirked at this and Lin repeated, "Her?"

Tenzin rubbed the bridge of his nose as he briefly explained, "It's a complicated story surrounding that Firebender, but yes. I read in one of the few scrolls I have in my library that the Moon Spirit has reportedly only blessed females… Anyway, we need your help to find her now."

The police chief sat back as she replied, "Why should I jeopardize my officers for this Firebender? If Amon has her, it's probably already too late."

For all of the reactions that Lin anticipated to explode from Korra, she never expected the tears that burst forth. Just as the Avatar parted her mouth to speak, the brunette Earthbender stood and slammed both of his powerful fists into the metal table with enough force to dent the thick steel. "You can't just let that bastard Amon do what he wants! You're basically giving him control of this city!"

Lin shot to her feet in anger. "I'm doing things by the book! And who are you to say anything on this conversation? As I recall, you came into my city and tried to rip it to pieces!"

The Earthbender reached up with both of his shackled hands to tightly grip an old Earth Kingdom medallion tied around his neck. "I am Orion, and I came to Republic City to hunt down that rat Amon and put an end to his miserable life. His influence has spread far already, even to Ba Sing Se, and those crazed Equalists killed my father." He released the medallion to clench his fists tightly and he met Lin's gaze. "He died protecting the city he loved. Even though he was just a simple city guard for the lower ring, he loved his home and his people, even as they tore him apart from the madness of that monster Amon's influence."

In the silence that followed, the Earthbender reclaimed his seat, but Tenzin could see the change of emotion within the police chief. She walked over to Orion and twisted her fingers in the air, the shackles around the Earthbender's wrists unlocking and falling onto the dented table with a loud clunk.

When his green eyes met her gaze, Lin lightly touched his shoulder and said, "Your father was a brave man who died protecting what he loved." She gave an approving nod and added, "I would do the same for my city, and its good citizens." Lin turned to Korra next as she said, "Dry your tears, Avatar. I will help you find Kai, and together we will find a way to put an end to this entire nightmare. Once and for all."

Korra turned her back to everyone to hide her face as she tried to regain her composure. It hurt beyond words to think that it could be too late for Kai already, but she had to be strong for the moon-touched Firebender now. _You are not a curse, and I am going to prove it to you_ Korra thought, though she was still unaware that the seed of affection was starting to bloom again in her heart. When she had her emotions under control again, she turned back to the others gathered in the room.

"First thing's first, we need to come up with a plan of action," Lin said after Korra had met her gaze again. The police chief picked up the broken piece of the night-vision goggles and asked, "So where did you find this exactly?"

Before Korra or Tenzin could reply, the metal wall of the room slid open and an officer behind it said, "Chief, we're getting reports of a massive Firebender gathering in front of Cabbage Corps, and it sounds like that strange Firebender is in the middle of it."

"Kai!" Korra cried as she rushed out of the room, the others close behind her.

* * *

The older man rubbed his thumb across his nose as he sneered towards the smaller form of Kai. "So yer tellin' me that out of all the benders _and _pussy Equalists who have tried before ya that yer gonna be the one to put a stop to me? Hah! Ahhahaha! Ah, shit! Thanks, son, I really needed a laugh!" the older man said while wiping a tear from his eye.

Kai didn't reply, she simply sank into her familiar stance and calmly waited. When the older man recognized the stance he laughed harder and said, "Oh no, a Waterbender! Good thing fer me there ain't no water around! What are ya gonna do, boy? Dance me into submission?" All around him, the man's thugs burst out with raunchy laughter, but still Kai held her position.

"I don't need water to beat you. You're old, for one thing, and you're just a selfish piece of crap stuck to the bottom of my shoe for another," the white-haired bender said. Her words had done the trick, the man's face falling into one of unbridled anger.

"Yer gonna regret sayin' that, ya little shit," the older man spat. He held out two extended fingers as he quickly traced the flow of the Chi in his body, then lashed out with a powerful surge of blue electricity.

Kai waited for it and once it reached her, she allowed it to hit her hand before she instantaneously directed it through her body's energy paths across her stomach and back out through her other hand. As the lightning she siphoned from the older Firebender erupted from her, it screamed with overwhelming power and crackled with her purple energy. She used it to effortlessly cut down a line of thugs to the man's right, and he swore loudly when he realized who Kai was.

He had heard about this strange Firebender a couple of weeks ago and had hoped he would never cross paths with her, but now that he stood before this infamous bender, he wasn't going to turn tail and run. The older man let out a powerful cry as he released another blast of concentrated electricity. Just as before, Kai caught it and redirected it, aiming it at the older man's heart but he deflected it with his free hand and mimicked Kai.

Now the two were locked within the same ongoing current of electricity flowing between them, but it was taking its toll on the older Firebender. He cried out for help from his thugs that were still conscious, but he realized that they were all caught up in battles of their own.

Korra had arrived with Orion, Tenzin, Lin, and some of her officers, but the Firebender gangsters kept them well out of range of Kai and their leader. "Heh, called yer friends here, did ya? Ya knew I'd be too much fer ya to handle!"

The grin that touched Kai's lips was ice cold, and for the first time the older man felt terror. "I didn't call anyone here. I work on behalf of Amon." The older Firebender had no time to react. As Kai spoke Amon's name, she reversed the polarity of the electrical current so it exploded against the direction of the flow from the older man, and Kai broke contact. Her purple electricity left her body to expend itself inside of the older Firebender and caused his heart to burst.

His body slumped to the ground and blood poured from every open orifice on his head, his life gone just like that. Kai watched his lifeless body for a moment, feeling numb inside, until she heard a voice her heart ached for calling out her name, "Kai!"

The Moon blessed girl met the blue gaze of the Avatar, and for one breathless instant their hearts reached out to each other. Then that moment was shattered when Kai turned away and ran out of sight behind a building.

"Kaaaaaaaai!" Korra screamed, punching one of the Firebenders out and throwing another aside with earthbending to get past them. By now the remaining thugs were giving up the fight, because they realized their leader lay dead on the street in a pool of his own blood. Orion followed Korra as Lin instructed her officers to detain the living Firebenders and close off the area around the gang leader's body.

Korra had to push her way through a gathering crowd of onlookers, but by the time she rounded the same corner Kai had disappeared behind, there was no sign of the small Firebender. Orion reached her as she sagged against a wall, Korra holding a hand over her mouth to stifle her growing sobs.

* * *

By the time the full moon began to climb the night sky, Kai's exploits were all over the radio waves, the small girl being dubbed as "The Cursed Firebender". She had single-handedly brought down three powerful gang leaders and made sure that everyone knew she was acting on Amon's orders.

Korra and the others had tried to keep up with her, but without knowing her next target, they just became the cleaning crew of the destruction she left in her wake. The bodies kept piling up, and even Korra knew that if they caught up to Kai, they would have to lock her away if they didn't kill her in the struggle to contain her.

The Avatar was sitting along the shore of a pond within Republic City, staring down at her own wounded reflection within the rippling waters. "Seems like this city is falling apart, doesn't it?" a voice spoke to Korra's left. She glanced up to see the vagabond she had met on her first day in the city.

With a soul-heavy sigh, she rubbed her face and replied, "Yeah, and it's all my fault. You'll probably have to find a new bush to live in if I can't fix it."

The man tittered from his beauteous bush and said, "Ya still got a lot to learn, young Avatar. You can't control the actions of others, you can only control how you act and how you treat others. I'll give you a hint, come here…"

As much as Korra didn't want to (his smell was pretty potent even from their current distance) she got to her feet and approached. The bush man leaned towards her and said, "Things go a lot smoother if you're honest with yourself about the feelings in your heart. From there, it shows to others with how you act towards them. Just give it a try and see." He gave her a wink, and Korra turned away to her thoughts.

Her hands rose and clasped together to press against her heart, and when she closed her eyes, she saw the sincere smile on Kai's face. Her heart thrummed harder in response, and it was then that Korra knew.

Boy or girl, the Avatar was in love with the Moon blessed Firebender.

With a grin, she walked to the shore and picked up a stick. Her sharp eyes detected movement in the water, and she flowed through a well-known sequence to waterbend a fish out of the pond. She speared it through the heart to make its death quick, then she focused her Chi to create fire and cooked the fish. Walking back to the vagabond and his beauteous bush, she gave him the seared fish and said, "Thanks for the advice. I'm going to go try and save this city."

He happily took the fish and waved her off as she called Naga and climbed onto the saddle. "Naga, let's go," Korra breathed, heading back to the city's police headquarters where she had left the others, everyone waiting for Kai's next move.

* * *

The small girl stood before Amon, her body trembling but in excitement rather than fear. She looked up into the white mask of her savior and smiled.

"You have done well, young bender. News of your power is all over the radio, so now begins the next phase." Her body shook harder, her wounded heart longing to hear his next words, "We will prepare the ritual to cleanse your soul of your poison, then all benders will know that no matter how strong their taint, they too can be purified like you."

Kai fell to her knees before Amon's mercy and said, "I will be ready when the time comes."

Amon turned to a man at his side and said, "Get the others gathered and pirate the radio waves. It's time I announce the cleansing ritual for the Cursed Firebender, and it will be a public affair. Then you and your men will bring down City Hall. It will be the perfect stage to start the end of the bending poison upon the spirit of humanity."

_Chapter 5 End~_


	6. Ch 6: Revealing Reflections

Chapter 6: Revealing Reflections

Hundreds of miles south of Republic City, another ritual was already being prepared and the entire island had been planning it for months. With the full moon glowing brightly upon his face, Tohle took in a deep breath and smiled. He shared in the excitement of everyone else living on the island.

Generations ago, part of the Southern Water Tribe had colonized the tropical island and named their new home Ceratos, and they had flourished there for years. At first no one noticed the subtle changes of their waterbending style, but several years before Tohle was born it had been discovered that the Ceratanians were being influenced by a nearby Spiritual Axis. This Spiritual Axis exists over the ocean just miles from the island and it serves as a vital balancing point for the Spirit Realm, helping to keep it from bursting the veil into the physical realm.

The importance of this delicate balance became all too real just twenty years before, the same year Tohle had been born. When the Spiritual Axis near his island got damaged by the sins of humans, the balance between the Spiritual and physical realm teetered and disrupted the flows of energy. Sick spirits broke through the central point of the axis and attacked Ceratos, endangering the lives of everyone who lived there as well as hurting the sick spirits even further. If it had not been for Tohle's mother and her pure, kind-hearted soul…

"Tohle~!" A voice drew him from thoughts of his deceased mother, and the tan islander turned to his short grandma with a genuine smile. "Are you ready? The moon is close to its zenith," his grandma said.

Tohle nodded and twirled an unlit fire baton. "Yes. I was just recalling the story of my mother when she selflessly saved our home. I only hope that I will not mar her sacred memory," Tohle replied, his voice articulating like a gentle ocean breeze.

His grandma lovingly grasped his hand and said, "You've got Iloea's spirit thriving within you. You're a great healer just like she was, and I know it in my heart that you will find the Moon Spirit and save us all."

"It is a difficult task that we face, but with every breath in my body I will find her and we will heal the Spiritual Axis points," Tohle said with affirmation.

His grandma clapped his bare shoulder and said, "Atta boy! Now get up there and do your thing! Don't forget, Makua will be watching, so be sure to make it extra special~." She winked as Tohle blushed from ear to ear, and he straightened his beautiful moon-adorned blue sarong around his slim waist before he quickly walked away from his grinning grandma.

The red haired boy took a deep breath, ocean filled eyes taking in the sight of the three pillars that surrounded the ceremonial stage where his ritual dance would be performed. Again his mind recalled the story of his heroic mother when his gaze rose to the full moon. It had been a night like this one when his mother, while pregnant with Tohle, had saved their island and the nearby Spiritual Axis, but the moon had been covered by terrible monsoon clouds back then.

Tohle stepped up to the edge of the ceremonial stage while three islanders lit fires on top of the three pillars surrounding the stage. He looked down at the unique relief carving of the circular stage and the water that partially filled the deeper parts. It held the design of a crescent moon being filled by curls of water, a symbol that had ties with both the Moon and the Sea spirits.

His mother had knelt in the center of this same stage, and she had prayed to the Moon Spirit to gift her with enough power to heal the Spiritual Axis and the people of her home. She prayed with every fiber of her pure heart, and her prayers had been answered, though not by the Moon Spirit alone.

With the presence of male energy within her body from carrying Tohle, the Moon Spirit and the Ocean Spirit both rose to answer her plea for help and blessed her with their powers, inadvertently blessing Tohle with the Ocean Spirit's energy in the process. The gift from the two spirits combined with Iloea's one-of-a-kind healing abilities were enough to quell the raging spiritual storm and the people of her island, but repairing the Spiritual Axis had required much more.

Tohle's mother poured most of her life energy as well as the Moon Spirit's blessing into the effort of healing the poisoned Spiritual Axis, and it had worked, but at the cost of Iloea's life. She held on for a few days after saving the island, but once Tohle took his first breath, she took her last.

Tohle never knew his mother's face, but he grew up knowing her love for him and the people of their island. Her healing abilities carried over to him and even increased with the blessing of the Ocean Spirit that he still had, and he was respected deeply by the people of Ceratos. He had been appointed the head healer at a young age, a position that his mother had held before him. He carried his mother's legacy with pride and love, and he knew it was his duty to now save the world from the growing chaos caused by the unbalance of the Spiritual Axis points.

He bowed his head in silent respect and prepared for the ritual dance he was about to perform, the full moon nearing its peak and reflecting in the surface of the water across the stage…

* * *

City Hall had fallen with remarkably little effort. The few members of the Council who were present had been easily captured and they were now being forced to kneel at the top of the steps leading into the building of City Hall. Equality posters and flags hung everywhere, and excited non-benders were already gathered to witness the upcoming spectacle. Neither Amon nor Kai had appeared yet, but the time was close.

Korra was in an office at the police headquarters with Tenzin, Orion, and Lin. The news of the fall of City Hall had not yet reached them. Korra's back stiffened when the song on the radio crackled out into static. Orion dropped the meat bun he had been eating when Amon's chilling voice spoke through the white noise, "Attention, fellow Equalists, benders, and citizens of Republic City: the Revolution starts now.

"I am here at City Hall and I will begin the purification of humanity's bending sins with the benders of the Council, then I shall cleanse the poison from the Cursed Firebender. I invite everyone to come witness the beginning of humanity's spiritual cleansing, and I would like to formally invite you, Avatar, to watch me purify your Moon-blessed Firebender."

His voice fizzled out into static once more. All Korra had to do was meet the gazes of the three with her, then they were all up and gone from the office. Korra knew that it would be nearly impossible to get to City Hall in time to stop Amon before he robbed the Council members of their bending, but there was still hope for Kai.

Within a small room inside of City Hall, Amon handed the microphone back to the radio hacker before the masked man turned to Kai. "How did you find out about the Moon Spirit…?" Kai asked faintly.

Amon chuckled darkly as he replied, "I've known for a while, but do not worry Kai. I can still purify you. Now come, let's begin with the Council members." He placed a hand on Kai's shoulder and steered her out of the small room, but a seed of doubt had already been planted in her mind. She never told Amon about her time with Korra, either…

Outside, the vast courtyard before City Hall was full of spectators and Equalists, and as soon as Amon appeared from behind a veil of smoke, cheers rolled through the crowd. Soon they were chanting Amon's name over and over, until the man in the mask held up a hand. The crowd fell silent and Amon took a microphone offered to him.

His voice rang out across the courtyard and even several streets over where Korra and Orion charged through on Naga, Tenzin and Lin following from above in one of the police air ships. When Amon spoke, his icy velvet voice drove a cold chill down Korra's spine, "Welcome to the Revolution of humanity's sins. For far too long, people have hailed benders as heroes and champions without realizing the truth: that bending is the branding of sin upon humanity. It's time we realize our grave misunderstanding, and purge bending from humankind for the benefit of future generations to come."

A loud cheer rose in the wake of these words, and hundreds of miles south of the city, Tohle lit the ends of his two fire batons using the fire from one of the spiritual pillars. Korra leaned more over Naga and urged the polarbeardog to dig deeper inside for a burst of speed. Kai stepped up to Amon's side as Tohle stepped to the center of the circular ceremonial stage.

A female Council member was dragged and shoved down before Amon as he said, "Beside me, I allow the Cursed Firebender to stand because out of every bender I have met, he alone understands that bending is not a gift, but a curse that must be exorcized." The older woman kneeling before Amon started to sob and plea to keep her bending, but Amon brutally cracked his gloved fist across her jaw and snapped it.

She wailed in pain as Tohle took a deep breath and began the rehearsed first steps of the ritual dance that would call upon the Moon Spirit for guidance, some of the water in the stage around him starting to rise. Korra and Orion could see City Hall ahead of them, but Naga was blocked by the waves of people crowding the courtyard. Sharply Korra called Orion's name and the Earthbender grunted with effort while solidly raising his arms. A bridge of earth rose among the crowd, knocking people over as it erupted and giving the polarbeardog a clear path straight to City Hall's top step.

Amon ignored the oncoming Avatar as he roughly grasped the back of the councilwoman's head and placed his thumb over her third eye. She let out a soul-wrenching cry as Amon forever sealed her bending, then he heartlessly kicked her down the steps and gestured for the next. Tohle spun and threw one of the flaming batons above his head so it twirled end over end, then his voice rose in ancient song that called for the Moon as his waterbending pulled the water around his body in spiraling tendrils that glittered in the light of the fire and the full moon.

Kai watched in horror as Amon sealed another councilman's bending and she took a step back. "This isn't right," she whispered.

A third member was dragged forth, and this one was in a full rage, "How dare you call yourself a bender while you help this-this _monster_!" Kai simply turned away as Amon stripped him of his bending and sent him rolling down the steps. Tohle tossed both fire batons over his head as glowing water cascaded around him, the full moon almost at its zenith directly above one of the flaming pillars, and his song rose in crescendo.

Naga reached the top step just as the final present Council member, Tarrlok, was shoved before Amon, but he wasn't going down without a fight. Tarrlok's pupils dilated and suddenly everyone on the top step froze in place.

"Wh-what the…" Orion gasped as Naga whimpered, and Korra croaked, "He's a Bloodbender!"

The watching crowd collectively gasped as Tarrlok laughed, rising to his feet and dragging Kai's body to him. She screamed in pain as he forced her towards him and then made her release the bonds around him. Free of the rope, Tarrlok rolled his shoulders and sighed.

"Well, well, Amon, it looks like you've finally met your… equal."

The man behind the mask started to laugh loudly, his sound infuriating the Waterbender.

"Why are you laughing? I have control over you!"

"We are _not_ equals," Amon said as he cracked his neck. "We're not even close." He lifted an arm, and Tarrlok took a step back in fear.

"What _are_ you?" the councilman whispered.

Amon reached forward and wrapped his hand around Tarrlok's throat, cutting off his air supply and his focus on his bending, which released everyone under his control with pained gasps and whimpers. Korra crawled over to where Kai's body lay and pulled the small Firebender into her embrace, where she had always belonged.

The masked man tightly gripped the base of Tarrlok's skull and pressed a thumb to his forehead as he said, "I am the solution." Tarrlok screamed as he felt his bending being severed from him, and once Amon was finished, Tarrlok's body slumped down the steps.

Korra looked up at Amon in horror as he turned towards her and Kai, but Orion rose with an angry snarl and charged straight for Amon. "No!" Korra screamed, but Orion ripped up the ground underneath the masked man's feet and launched him. Amon easily flipped through the air just as Tohle performed a similar motion, and the man in the white mask landed in front of Orion. The Earthbender tore free several spikes of earth with a scream, but Amon was upon him before he could throw them.

The masked man delivered a nasty uppercut to Orion's jaw and broke his focus, his earth spikes falling apart. While the brunette boy was laid out and disoriented, Amon grabbed him by the hair and roughly hauled him up. Korra started to stand but she knew she wouldn't make it in time. She cried out as Amon pressed his thumb to Orion's forehead and the moon hit its zenith above one of the pillars surrounding Tohle.

The Waterbender islander spun in the center of the stage as the water exploded away from him and he hit the last note of his song to the Moon, and then Kai rose to her feet. Orion flopped to the ground with a weak wheeze and Amon turned to the small Firebender just as she raised a hand towards him. The flame on the pillar directly beneath the Moon started to burn with purple light and a blue glow surrounded Tohle's body in response.

Kai's purple aura became visible in the same instant, and when she spoke, the voice of the Moon Spirit channeled through her, "The Spirits have observed your actions upon this realm, Noatak, and now they have passed judgment upon your soul. You will be sent to the Spirit Realm, where you will serve your punishment for the rest of eternity for your blatant betrayal."

The masked man fell to his knees and Kai placed her hand on his forehead. He screamed but he could do nothing to stop Kai's power, and after a last pathetic whimper his body crumpled. He was still breathing, but his consciousness was forever severed from his body, trapped within the Spiritual Realm. From the bottom of the stairs, Tarrlok looked up in horror when he heard Kai's voice speak a name he hadn't heard in years. "... Noatak? B-brother... Of course it was you..." the broken Water Tribe man uttered beneath his gasping breath.

Tohle smiled wide as the glow around him and Kai intensified, the Firebender approaching Orion who still lay on the ground. As she knelt by his side, the purple flame under the Moon grew bigger and higher than the others, and as she placed one hand over his heart and the other over his third eye, the purple fire erupted to the size of a bonfire. Her purple glow strengthened until it enveloped both her and Orion in the same breath that Tohle was enveloped in blue, and it lasted for several moments.

In that time, Tohle's soul connected with Kai's and gave the Ocean-blessed boy a direction to follow to find her. She felt the connection, too, but she was drawn into the spiritual healing power of her moon fire as it filled the pathways of Orion's flow of Chi. The flow was distorted and blocked at the two points of the base of his skull and the middle of his forehead, over his inner eye. Kai's blessed fire poured through the distorted points caused by Noatak and corrected the natural flow of Orion's Chi. Once he had been purified of Noatak's taint, his green eyes opened and the Moon passed its peak.

The purple flame dimmed back down to the small orange fire it had been before, and the glow around Tohle and Kai faded in the same moment, weakening the link between their souls though Tohle still sensed the direction of her presence. Kai let out a small breath as she fainted and toppled backwards into the Avatar's waiting arms.

Korra faintly noticed that the Firebender's white hair had grown well past her hips when the glow had faded, but in that moment it was a trivial detail. She held on to Kai tightly and cried into her flowing white hair as she weakly whispered, "I'll never let you go again, Kai. I swear it…"

_Chapter 6 End~_


	7. Ch 7: Painful Perspective

Chapter 7: Painful Perspective

It was several weeks after the fall of Amon. Kai was still being held in prison for that horrific day where she had killed three notorious gang leaders and eleven others, and with every passing hour she sat in solitude with the terrors of her recent actions. Even though they had all been considered thugs, Kai still felt sick about what she had done to them. It was not her place to end the life of another person. She wondered if she would ever be able to do enough to feel like she could repent for her own sins. Deep down inside, she knew that she never would be the same again.

On occasions she imagined that she could feel an ancient bond reaching out to her and steadily growing stronger, but after weeks of a dark metal cell she began to believe it was just a fabricated sensation. Her head landed to lay back against the wall as it often did whenever her thoughts turned to the Avatar.

Seeing Korra's beautiful face again when the brunette had crawled to her and gathered her into warm arms, after Tarrlok's bloodbending had violated their bodies, had sent a beacon of warm light throughout Kai. But now, after numerous days alone in solitary, even that warm light was starting to fade from her. Not for the first time, she bowed her head and cried into the lonely security of her palms.

The only visitor she had been allowed was the police chief herself, either to question about Amon, his followers, or the few secret locations where they stored weapons that Kai had been trusted enough to know about. It was also through these visitations that Lin shared the story of who Amon used to be, from the words of his now bender-less brother Tarrlok. Kai herself was surprised when she heard about the fact that she had known Amon's true name of Noatak while she had been swept away by the power of the Moon Spirit.

After learning about Noatak's harsh childhood propelled by a broken father who only saw his children as tools to complete his own desires, Kai couldn't help but feel a dark kinship with the Bloodbender who was now forever lost to the Spirit Realm. His incredible strength of bloodbending was the key that allowed Noatak the ability to actually disrupt the natural flow of Chi within benders and cut it away from them, but Kai's unique blessing of moon fire granted her the sole ability of repairing the damage to the pathways of Chi inside of benders.

At least, she thought that was the key to replicate the method she had used to heal Orion, but a few days later when she tried to do it again, it didn't work at all. In the ensuing anger against her, the only explanation she could offer was that it felt like something was missing, something that she had held for only those few moments when she healed Orion. Now she could feel the rage towards her from the benders who had been blocked by Amon as well as Amon's followers who hated her for putting an end to him. She still wasn't sure about the exact feelings that Korra may or may not have for her, and with the added weight of the deaths by her hand, Kai had hit her lowest point.

In a way, she was grateful for being locked away alone because she could express her sorrow without the scrutiny of another person. She still had no idea what her fate would be for her crimes, but during their few visitations, a bond had grown between the Moon-blessed Firebender and the Metalbender police chief. Lin had made Kai a solemn promise that Kai would not be trapped forever (something about Korra driving her crazy every single day), but that had been well over a week ago and Kai had not seen Lin since then.

The Firebender was beginning to lose hope that she would ever get the chance to speak to Korra again and learn about what the Avatar really felt in her heart. Kai brought up her knees to cross her arms and bury her face, her long white hair falling all around her shaking body while she sobbed.

* * *

The entire island of Ceratos was in celebration. All of the islander Waterbenders were excited and eager to give Tohle and Makua well wishes on their oncoming journey. The son of Iloea was grinning wide as he gave his grandma a warm hug.

"I am almost prepared," Tohle said while glancing back to see the Earthbender Makua carrying the last of their belongings from their home island onto a smaller island right beside it. Tohle's grandma let out a merry laugh that drew ocean-filled eyes back to her and she gave him a grin.

"Now, Tohle, I want you to take good care of Untunktahe while on your quest."

At this, the Ocean-blessed redhead laughed warmly. "I believe that Untunk will be the one taking care of _me_. He did bring our ancestors here over three hundred years ago, after all," Tohle replied while again glancing at the smaller island where Makua had vanished amongst the trees.

Tohle's grandma laughed heartily as she said, "Keep in mind what I told you on the night of your ritual!" The red haired islander nodded before leaning down a bit to give his grandma another hug with tears in his eyes starting to build.

It would be the first time Tohle ever left his home, but he knew he could be strong. To save his home, he would have to be.

His grandma gently wiped away one of his tears as she remarked, "Now don't start that, you know that calls the rains and I believe this journey should start on a sunny day with a smile. Everyone else here is smiling, because we all believe in you."

Tohle gave a nod and grinned while a few more tears slipped free. He gave one final wave to his people with that genuine smile still on his lips, and just as he was about to step across to the smaller island, his grandma called out, "Oh, and one more thing: take _real good care_ of Makua!" Her comment caused him to lose his footing and with a surprised cry he toppled into the shallow water between the islands. He could hear his grandma's familiar laugh amongst the other chuckles, and he couldn't resist a bigger smile.

He would miss his home terribly, but Tohle knew that as a Spirit blessed bender, he had to use his powers to try and make things right. It was a daunting task that he would not have to face alone though, and he thought about this while studying the form of Makua.

The Earthbender wore a pair of dark green shorts with a short emerald-green sarong tied over them much like Tohle's long blue sarong, but the black haired boy also chose to wear a form-fitting sleeveless shirt. It showed off the strong definition of his hardened muscles; visible proof of vigilant earthbending training, though Tohle knew much more that hid behind those light green eyes. Makua was an Earthbender, but he had been born on an island formed by a still active volcano and had learned to bend the fire-soaked earth there. Although Makua couldn't do a lot of fancy things with his one-of-a-kind bending, Tohle knew that it was only a matter of time and training.

When light green eyes met Tohle's ocean gaze, the redhead smiled and said, "Let us depart, and locate the Spirit of the Moon together." The Earthbender flashed a rare smile, and Tohle took a walk across the small island. He passed by several training courtyards that focused on different elements, a small flowing river that cut across the island, into more trees, beyond a nicely built two-story wooden house, and finally came to a stop on the other side of the island right beside an old engraved stone.

The Ocean-blessed Waterbender took a single breath to gather his focus, then he stepped out onto the rolling waves of the sea. Only after years of practice had Tohle finally been able to walk on waves without the motions knocking him over and into the water, so now he could walk on the ocean with relative ease. He kept walking until he was quite a distance from the shore before he turned to face the carved stone.

He began to flow through a unique sequence of waterbending and as he moved, his voice rose. He quietly sang out the song of the sea as the water lifted to create an obscuring mist all around the smaller island, masking it. At the end of his song, he performed one last twirl and said the name, "Untunktahe."

Right before him, the water began to fall away from a massive head as it broke the surface. Tohle reached out to stroke the snout of a familiar old friend as he said, "Are you ready, Untunk? We have to go north first and find the Moon within the city of lies."

In reply, the majestic turtlelion exhaled a wet breath over Tohle and psychically replied, _I am ready, Young Ocean. It is time to reunite the Ocean Spirit with the Moon Spirit once again, and heal the damaged Axis points._

* * *

With a loud grunt, Korra pushed forward against the long cords of metal wrapped around her wrists. As she pushed, she forced the metal to stiffen and extend the energy of her push all the way through to Orion, who was wearing one of the Metalbender police force outfits complete with coils of thick steel strapped to his back. Korra's aggression was enough to send Orion flat on his back yet again, and his metal cords around her wrists slackened just enough.

She tightly took hold of the loose metal and commanded it herself, ushering the lengths of metal to jump up and lift Orion with them. The Earthbender hollered in surprise as Korra twirled him in the air several times and then roughly slammed him back into the ground of the metalbending training compound. The Avatar let the loose cords fall away from her reddened wrists and watched Orion pant hoarsely from his laying position.

Lin stepped between them and turned to Orion, "You're going to have to do better than that, boy. Always keep _your_ metal under _your_ control, or someone else will use it against you again."

When she turned to Korra, the Avatar immediately asked, "Today?"

The police chief let out a heavy breath in reply, and angrily Korra turned away to a nearby twisted pillar of steel. She used her frustrations to fuel her power and began to punch into the contorted steel with her bare hands.

This routine had more or less repeated itself since Amon's fall. The Avatar had been in a constant state of anger since the moment Kai had been torn away from her arms that night, and she had not seen the incarcerated Firebender since then. Trying to distract herself so she wouldn't lose her mind, Korra vigorously threw herself into her training. At first she had tried to focus on airbending, but she couldn't quiet her screaming thoughts and emotions long enough to fall into a meditative state and find her center. Instead, she decided to vent her emotional distress by joining Orion in metalbending training sessions with Lin BeiFong herself.

The police chief had refused Orion's initial pleas to be trained, but after musing over the massive damage to the street he had caused on his first day as well as the way he bullrushed Amon, Lin decided that Orion did have the mettle and stubbornness to bend metal to his will. He eagerly accepted the opportunity when Lin offered him a job on her squad after some training, and Korra joined in with their sessions just to keep herself distracted.

In her frustration about not seeing Kai, Korra had picked up the art of metalbending very quickly and the very act of doing it helped to burn away her pain. She wanted to see the small Firebender, and every day that passed without her hurt, but the worst pain had been the moment when Kai's unconscious body had been torn out of Korra's embrace.

The Avatar herself couldn't exactly recall what had happened, but she did end up giving Tenzin a very swollen cheek while he and Orion held Korra back. It was a good thing they had, because Korra remembered wanting to tear the person carrying Kai away into miniscule pieces. Lin had been the one to physically pry Kai out of Korra's hands and carried her away, to a place that Korra could not go. She hated it, but she didn't blame Lin BeiFong. The police chief was only doing her job, and Kai could not escape the fact that she has slaughtered fourteen people.

At this thought, Korra's hand embedded deep into the twisted steel. She had been the reason that Kai had gone to Amon... "No!" she suddenly screamed, ripping her hand free from the metal and tearing the pillar in half. She couldn't let herself think like that if she wanted to keep herself together.

Orion watched her stomp away and he turned to Lin. "Why won't you just let them visit each other?" he asked.

The police chief crossed her arms as she replied with secretive knowledge, "Because if they see each other again, only death will be able to separate them." Orion looked at her oddly until she snapped back into her steely composure and barked, "Now go through routines three to ten again! Korra took control of you way too easily, so toughen up!"

The Metalbender-in-training quickly moved to obey, but in the back of his mind he seriously wondered about how much longer his friend Korra could hold out.

* * *

The great turtlelion traveled without rest for days, heading for his now nearby destination of Republic City. "We are nearly there. I can sense her a lot stronger now," the redhead had said to Makua after one of the training sessions for the Earthbender. Tohle's ocean eyes naturally looked northward, his aura slightly starting to hum with the closing proximity of the Moon-blessed girl.

She could feel it growing as well, though Kai still wrote it off as a delusion brought on from days of solitude.

The sensations were affecting Korra as well, the Avatar becoming more agitated with each passing day. One week, the Avatar stopped attending the metalbending training altogether, the girl instead becoming transfixed on a rock on Air Temple Island with her bright blue eyes cast southward. She barely responded to anyone's questions, and all attempts to give her food or water were pointless, until one overcast morning struck Republic City.

That day, Avatar Korra joined the Airbending family for breakfast without a single remark. Tense looks were shared amongst some of the family members until Tenzin finally dared to ask, "How are you feeling today, Korra?"

The brunette girl replied with a wave of a roll, "Pretty good today."

She resumed eating, and then Pema was next to question, "Oh. Well, do you have any plans for today?"

The roll waved again as Korra answered, "Big ones."

It was obvious that the Avatar did not intend to divulge details, but Ikki filled in, "You're gonna break Kai outta jail, right?" Korra didn't respond in any way, and several moments later Tenzin rocketed to his feet.

"You _can't_ be serious about this! Where would she go? You do realize Lin will lock you away and I _really_ don't think I can get you out of it this time!"

Korra buttered her roll as she said, "You don't need to know anything, and it doesn't matter where Kai goes. I will keep her safe."

Another tense silence passed. Then Tenzin exploded, "_**Korra**_! You haven't even finished your airbending training! You can't leave, and you can't risk going to prison!"

The Water Tribe girl stood, throwing her knife down loudly against her plate, "But you can't expect me to just sit around and wait! You know that's not my style! And b-besides..." Korra's voice dropped to a whisper as she added, "Every moment spent knowing that she's trapped and alone... I need to get to her." Her blue eyes were determined as she met Tenzin's anger head-on.

Silently they stared each other down until Pema stood up and said, "Korra has to do what she has to do, Tenzin. Who are we to get in her way?"

Tenzin's eyes focused on her, the Airbending Master aghast. "Who are we? We're supposed to be the ones protecting Korra until she's a fully realized Avatar, and she hasn't even mastered Airbending, let alone know how to use her Avatar state! No, this is ludicrous, I can't let you go through with it," Tenzin said, ending his statement with his attention on Korra.

She made to speak, but Pema stepped over to Tenzin and gently clasped his hand. When he looked at her, she quietly said, "Haven't you done the same for me? Gotten me out of Lin's prison?"

"Yes of course, but I did so legally!"

"Would you still get me out if you had no legal options? If you had to wait for _weeks_ without ever seeing my face? What would you do?"

Tenzin was quiet for a long moment while Pema's simple wisdom washed over him, then he let out a sigh and said, "I would do whatever it takes to get to you, Pema, and you know I would."

"You would? And why is that?"

She smiled because she knew Tenzin would be annoyed at having to answer something so obvious, but he hugged her close and went ahead, "Because I love you, Pema."

There was a chorus of "Awwwh!" and a "Bleeh!" from the Airbending children, but Pema winked in Korra's direction before pulling away from Tenzin's embrace. She met his eyes, her expression clearly speaking to him, and Tenzin asked, "Korra... Answer this for me: Why do you _need _to get to Kai?"

He turned to the Avatar just as she passionately cried, "Because I love her!" The Airbender nodded his head with approval and Korra added, "And it feels like its time for her to be free. I feel... no, it's more like I sense that something is coming, something that will need Kai as well as me."

Pema and Tenzin reclaimed their seats, but the Airbending Master said, "I know that technically I shouldn't let you go without being fully trained, but my father had to learn three elements while on a perilous journey when he was still just a child. I don't know what is in the future for you, young Avatar, but perhaps a journey of your own will be the key to unlocking all of your power." There was a mounting tension of excitement as everyone hung on Tenzin's every word, "I think you already know the best hour of the night to slip out without the White Lotus members noticing, and I'll feint ignorance when Lin comes demanding answers."

Korra grinned at this and replied amongst the cheers of Tenzin's children, "Actually, the plan to break Kai out was Lin's idea. Even she knows that Kai has a bigger purpose, and she can't fulfill it from a cell."

Shock silenced any comments that Tenzin would have made, but he did know Lin's heart well enough to understand that sometimes she broke rules when something bigger was at stake. Once Tenzin could vocalize again, he said, "Well, when is this all going to take place?"

Korra's grin became huge with her reply, "Tonight, under the cover of the storm clouds."

* * *

The Moon-blessed girl had no window in her cell, so she had no idea what the exact time was. However, she could feel the difference between day and night, because she always felt a little stronger when the Moon was above. Judging from the swell of energy inside of her, Kai instinctively knew that the Moon was full. The last time the Moon had been full, Kai had felt something awaken deep within her while casting Amon away, something ancient.

Since that pivotal moment, the Firebender felt more aware of the Moon's influence, but she could also feel something else, something intimate yet always beyond reach. It was that phantom sensation she had tried to ignore, but it was stronger than ever it and made her inner energy sing. There was no way that it was just a fabrication built on madness. Something, or someone, _was _reaching for her. Oh, if only she could escape her steel box...!

As if the metal heard her silent pleading, one of the walls slid apart to reveal the police chief. Lin quickly entered the room and bended the metal wall back together before she met Kai's curious purple eyes. "Listen to me carefully: I am going to open the wall on the other side of the room, where Korra is waiting with Naga. I can feel it down to my core that you have a bigger purpose, probably bigger than any of us really understand, but to get you out legally would take far too much time." Lin handed Kai a long black cloak, which the shorter girl quickly put on while being mindful to hide every white lock of hair.

Lin lightly placed a hand on Kai's shoulder and said, "Once you leave, you cannot return to Republic City or you will end up right back in here. The Equalists that still remain will come after you when news of your escape gets out, so always watch your back. Put as much distance as you can between you and this place, and go do what you have to."

Kai clutched the cloak shut tighter as she said, "But why do you think that I have a bigger purpose? I... I don't have any idea what I'm supposed to do..."

Lin squeezed Kai's shoulder as she replied, "You may not know yet, but if you stay in this hole for the rest of your years, then you will _never _know. The answer is out there." The Moon-blessed girl gave a nod, but hidden within the shadows of the hood she bit her lip with doubt.

The police chief stepped away and to the wall that would lead outside, but the metal plates of the wall she entered clumsily slid apart. Both Lin and Kai whirled around in the same instant to see a breathless Orion coming in. "You fool, what are you doing? You better have not alerted the other officers..." the police chief hissed as she effortlessly resealed the wall behind Orion.

He looked at Kai and said, "I want to come with you and Korra."

Lin interjected, "How did you even find out about this?"

The brunette Earthbender gave the police chief a look that said he knew about what was on Lin's mind more than she realized. The police chief threw up her hands in defeat and said, "Fine, but if you really want to be a part of this, then I will have to fire you from my squad."

Orion flexed his Metalbending enough to easily pull the badge off of the chest-plate of his uniform, then he dropped it onto Lin's waiting palm and said, "Consider this my resignation."

The veteran Metalbender smiled as she said, "Sometimes, we have to do things... outside the law. I taught you the basics of Metalbending, but Korra can continue to help you as you train together. Keep the uniform and the coils of metal as a gift of hope that you will all do your best for whatever lays ahead."

She clapped Orion's plated shoulder, then she gave Kai a rare hug that surprised Kai with its tenderness. "Just in case that this is the last time we see each other... Take care, both of you." Lin turned to the wall that led outside, but Kai still noticed the tears building up in the rock-steady woman's eyes.

With a solid prying motion of her hands, the thicker outer wall gave in to Lin BeiFong's bending and created an opening. "Now get going! Korra will be waiting on the next street over on the right!" Orion led the way into the stormy night and Kai followed, but not before pausing on the way to touch Lin's hand in thanks.

As soon as the Firebender was out in the rain, the wall shut seamlessly behind them. "Thank you, Lin," Kai whispered as she followed Orion away from the place where Kai had been imprisoned for weeks.

* * *

Tenzin was just about to pass the doorway that led to the front foyer when someone wet collided into him at full force. The Airbender went down with a grunt while softening his landing with an instinctive twist of Airbending, and someone immediately began to jump up and down on his stomach while screaming, "Daddy, daddy, there's a creepy mist outside!"

It was the youngest Airbending sibling Meelo. Tenzin grasped Meelo gently mid-jump so the older man could breathe and sit up. "But we live on an island, sometimes it can become foggy..."

Meelo earnestly shook his head in defiance. "This mist creepy! Over the ocean!"

Tenzin allowed Meelo to airbend out of his grip and he got to his feet, wanting to follow his son and try to explain the mist. Once he got into the rain and saw what it was Meelo had meant, Tenzin had no answer as to what was causing it. Ikki and Jinora were already standing on the shore to watch a thick and huge mass of white mist that seemed to clear the sky directly above it from the storm clouds as it slowly drifted closer towards them.

"What do you think it is, dad?" Jinora asked.

The older Airbender stood between his kids and the odd mist as he answered, "I'm not certain, but stay behind me." He deeply inhaled before gliding a step forward and lifting his arms while flicking his wrists around, creating a vortex of wind that he aimed at the mist. It was a vain effort to disperse the thick mist, and it just reformed as solid as a cloud.

Tenzin was on the verge of telling his children to go inside when the slow moving mist came to a complete stop. His children all peered around him to see and soon they could all make out the shape of a person walking through the mist and over the stormy waves of water. Just like the mist, the rain didn't fall on the figure and the clouds above parted to reveal night sky.

The figure came closer, and once he stepped a bare foot onto the shore of the island, the visitor smiled at Tenzin and his children warmly. When his gaze met the eyes of the eldest sibling, Jinora let out a small "Eep!" before hiding her red face behind her father's robes. The Airbender could feel a strong but nearly familiar power coming from the red haired islander, and suddenly it clicked.

"You've been blessed by a Spirit, haven't you?" Tenzin questioned.

The visitor gave a nod and answered, "Yes. My name is Tohle from Ceratos, and I have been blessed by the Ocean Spirit."

Behind Tenzin, the two girls released excited squeals. It was apparent that they both already thought highly of Tohle, though Tenzin knew that Tohle's visit could not bode well. "Something is going wrong, or else you wouldn't be here."

Again Tohle nodded and for the first time his smile fell. "Very wrong. Different Spiritual Axis points are becoming distorted and disrupting the natural flow of energies between the realms. The Spirit Plane is in a state of chaos," the Waterbender explained. Tenzin couldn't stop his gasp, but his children all looked up at him inquisitively.

"Spiritual Axis points?" Ikki repeated.

Her father nodded. "Yes. It's a lesson you three will learn more of as part of your advanced training, but essentially Spiritual Axis points are areas where energy naturally flows into a vortex. Usually the flow is balanced, but if the Axis points are being damaged, then they _must_ be repaired. We rely on them just as much as the Spiritual Realm does."

Tohle added in, "Yes, and the flows of energy can only be repaired from their foundations, which are anchored here in the physical realm. That is why some of the stronger Spirits who can resist the twisted energies are blessing various benders to help aid the Avatar to repair the damage. That is part of the reason of why I am here."

"You need to find the Avatar-"

"-And the girl blessed by the Spirit of the Moon."

Tenzin finally smiled as he said, "Well, you will not have to wait much longer. They will be back soon..."

"Yeah, after Korra breaks Kai outta jail!" Ikki put in.

Tohle's eyebrows arched and Tenzin let out a chuckle. "Let's go inside out of this storm, that doesn't seem to ever touch you anyway, and I will share the story of Kai with you while we wait for them," the Airbender offered. Tohle nodded with that grin, and he met Jinora's bashful stare to give her a wink, much to her joy and embarrassment.

* * *

Even though Kai felt the urgency to run, she couldn't help it when she slowed down to take in the sight of Korra atop her huge polarbeardog. When her purple gaze met those blues that she had been missing for weeks, Kai let out a soft laugh. Korra threw herself from her saddle and nearly knocked Orion over when she passed him, grasping Kai in a tight embrace and lifting the Firebender right off of her feet.

"I've missed you so badly..." Korra started, and Kai tenderly cut in, "I felt that ache, too, but we have to run now." Korra nodded and set the black cloaked girl down on her feet again. "I'm not sure where to go yet, but Tenzin said that we should return to the island for the night. That will give us time to plan our next move," Korra said as they all climbed onto Naga's powerful back.

"That's a good idea," Kai said over Korra's shoulder. The Avatar directed Naga to the closest shoreline where they would then walk under the water and back to Air Temple Island. It wasn't a long dash through the city thanks to Naga's speed, and when they reached the shore Korra slid from the saddle to the ground.

She moved in front of Naga, and after a few breaths to focus herself, Korra began to sway back and forth while rolling her arms, parting the water away from her like a bubble as she stepped forward. Naga followed her pace, and soon they were walking along the bottom of the bay with thousands of gallons of water flowing precariously all around Korra's maintained waterbending bubble.

It was nearly impossible to see through the dark waters due to the stormy night, but the Avatar kept going forward in a straight line for the island. Orion watched the water flow around them and said with a touch of mild wonder, "Wow, I never thought I would walk literally under water."

"Stick with me and you will likely do a lot more things that you never dreamed you would," Korra replied with a touch of humor.

Kai turned in the saddle when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and Orion whispered to her, "By the way... thanks for healing my bending that night..."

His voice trailed off as it became heavy with emotion, and Kai gently clasped one of his powerful hands to reply, "You're welcome. It's the only good I have ever managed to do in my life..."

Korra was about to argue that point with the fact that Kai had changed her heart, but their conversation brutally ended as a torpedo broke through Korra's waterbending bubble and exploded in the same moment that water collapsed into the empty air. The vicious momentum of the rushing water and explosion propelled Kai through the water and away from the others. She focused on trying to discern which was was up, but a net swooped from the impossibly dark waters and ensnared her.

Precious air escaped her when she instinctively tried to cry out and she was dragged backwards through the water. She tried to look over her shoulder to see, but it didn't matter as suddenly she was being pulled upwards by an invisible force. As soon as she broke the surface, she gasped loudly for air. After she had, her wide purple eyes looked around to see several large metal machines being held up in the air by massive torrents of water, as well as Orion, Korra, and Naga.

Kai glanced up to see that the net holding her in the air was attached to one of those large metal vehicles, but it didn't have her for long as a precise and sharp shard of ice severed the line holding her. A small cry escaped her as she plummeted back towards the waves, but another water spout rose and easily caught her.

"What the hell..." she muttered while looking around. Her eyes fell to a figure standing on the rolling waves and she had to do a double-take. Yes, she was actually seeing someone standing on the ocean, and he appeared to be the bender in control of the water torrents holding everything up. Above, the clouds of the storm came crashing together with monstrous thunder as the lone Waterbender let out a shout. He twisted one hand and launched all of the metal vehicles far beyond sight, towards the distant ocean, then his attention turned to the four figures still being held.

Kai suddenly realized that she could hear Korra sobbing and crying out Naga's name, and when Kai took a closer look at the polarbeardog she could see that the animal had taken the brunt of the damage from the torpedo's explosion. "No..." she faintly whispered. The lone figure standing on the ocean performed a slow turn with one arm extended, and in reply the water spouts holding Kai, Korra, and Orion moved to deposit the three on the shore of an unfamiliar island.

As soon as the water had released them, Kai crawled over to the sobbing Avatar while Orion sat up with his green eyes on the Waterbender still standing on the ocean. Kai watched as well while above every storm cloud rolled away, unveiling the light of the full moon. The red haired Waterbender pulled Naga's body closer to him, and even over the sounds of the waves Kai could hear the polarbeardog's pained whimpers.

A blue glow started to form around the Waterbender as he raised both hands up towards Naga, touching the animal without any water between their contact. His blue glow extended from him to fully encompass Naga's body and it lasted for many long breaths. Once it faded, the Waterbender pushed the animal to the island and released her beside Korra.

Naga sat up and looked at the Avatar before letting out a cheerful yip to signify that she was fine, her long tail wagging. Korra laughed as she threw her arms around Naga's thick neck, burying her face into shaggy white fur. Kai stood with a small smile, her attention turning to watch the red haired Waterbender approach.

He paused by Orion first and repeated his healing process on the Earthbender's arm, then he walked towards Kai while reaching out to heal the cheek that she hadn't even noticed received a burn. Her eyes locked with his just before they touched, and it was then that she realized he was the one who had bonded with her soul during the fall of Amon.

When his healing work was complete and his hand pulled away, he said, "Hello, Moon Spirit. I have been waiting to meet you for a long time. There is a task that lays before us, and it will require our unique powers working in unison to be able to complete it."

_Chapter 7 End~_


	8. Ch 8: Stolen Soul

Chapter 8: Stolen Soul

Though Kai felt exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl up with her head on Korra's lap, the small girl instead sat around Tenzin's table. Joining her at the table were Tenzin, Orion, Korra, Tohle, and the Earthbender Makua. The Waterbender Tohle had just finished explaining about the growing problem of the distorted Spiritual Axis points and now a thoughtful silence filled the room.

Kai herself almost couldn't believe his words, but she couldn't deny that something _did_ feel wrong. She also couldn't deny that she felt like she could do nothing about it, but she kept her doubts to herself. Beside her, Korra leaned forward with her bright blue eyes on Tohle. "So you said that you were waiting here for us to get back, right? How did you end up walking on top of the water out in the middle of the bay so fast?" the Avatar asked.

The Ocean-blessed islander smiled with his reply, "I am blessed by the Ocean Spirit, which means that I have some unique abilities including the ability to sense movements within water around me. The moment you entered the bay with your waterbending I felt it, and I also felt those Equalist submarines when they started to move to intercept your path. When I realized what was happening, I rushed to your group, but I apologize for not reaching you sooner."

Korra shook her head as she said, "No, I'm just glad you did show up... Thank you."

Tohle's smile grew wide and he studied Korra's blue gaze until the Avatar had to look away. Makua cleared his throat to purposefully disrupt the moment, and Tenzin filled in the awkward silence by asking, "Do you know where the Spiritual Axis points are?"

The islander answered, "I only know of a couple, but my grandma told me about a special technique that can only be done when very certain conditions are met that should help to show us the way. Do you have a world map, by chance?"

The Airbending Master nodded while rising to his feet, "There should be an old one from my father in my library. It's a bit outdated, but it should still aid you. I will go get it."

He left the room, and once he was gone Kai slumped with her exhaustion. Korra glanced over at the Firebender and gave a crooked grin. "Looks like someone is tired... You should get some-" the Avatar's sentence cut off as a yawn escaped her, informing her of her own body's weariness. When she could speak again she said, "Guess I'm kinda tired myself."

"You both should go get some sleep, and tomorrow we will brief you on what we will do next. We need to leave as soon as possible..." Tohle said. Korra nodded to him before she gently grasped Kai's hand and stood, urging the Moon-blessed Firebender to follow.

Kai got to her feet while feeling a little light-headed. It would be the first time that the two would be alone since the day that Kai confessed her secret to Korra. The two girls left the room and headed for the small hallway where the bedrooms were. Silence followed them until Korra had led Kai into the Avatar's room and firmly shut the door behind them.

Korra kept facing the door with her back to Kai for a moment, then she spoke, "Kai... I'm sorry."

The Firebender was about to reply, but Korra whirled around and tightly embraced Kai, tears in those blue eyes. "I am so sorry for everything," Korra softly sobbed, burying her face into Kai's long white hair. "I said things out of anger and pain, and I'm so sorry for hurting you and p-pushing you to Amon..."

Kai silenced her by pulling away to meet her teary gaze. "Don't blame yourself for my actions, please. What I did... The lives that I took... None of it is your fault, so don't blame yourself. I should have told you the truth about me sooner, but I didn't. I chose to keep hiding and lying to you..." At this point, Kai pulled completely free of Korra's embrace and the expression on the Firebender's face tore Korra's heart into pieces. Her next words hurt Korra more that she ever imagined, "... Regardless of what you feel for me, Korra, I don't deserve your affection, your comfort, your beauty, your heart, or you. No, my sins have marked me as much as the blessing of the Moon, and I am no good for you."

Korra's body trembled, though she wasn't sure if it was from anger or sorrow. "Why won't you open your eyes and see the truth right in front of you? Kai... I need you," the Avatar whispered weakly, but the Firebender shook her head.

"You only think you do, but you would be better off keeping your heart away from me," Kai said.

The Avatar screamed out, "**Idiot**! You already have my heart, so now you gotta learn how to deal with it!" She took a step closer to the Moon-touched Firebender as she continued, "Your lie did hurt, but I realized that it doesn't change these feelings I have for you. Whether you like it or not, I care about you, so _deal with it_." She again swooped her arms around the Firebender, and this time Kai didn't resist. She stared intensely into Korra's beautiful blue eyes while Korra whispered, "Let me support you. Sooner or later you have to learn that you don't always have to be alone."

Kai felt herself start to cry as she replied, "But I don't know how to live any other way."

A smile touched Korra's lips with her response, "I can show you." The Water Tribe girl tenderly kissed the Moon-blessed Firebender. Kai felt her aching heart swell with comforting warmth and she lightly moaned into their first kiss, her arms curling around Korra's neck to hold her down longer. When they finally did break away breathlessly, the Avatar gave her crooked grin and said, "Do you understand now, Kai?"

Gently the Moon-touched girl caressed one of Korra's tear-stained cheeks as she answered, "I'm starting to... And I want you to know my full name." Korra's smile grew bigger at this because the Firebender was finally destroying another barrier between them.

She shivered as the shorter girl's warm breath brushed across her lips with her name just before they kissed again, "Kaira."

* * *

Korra was roughly shaken awake a few hours later. She groaned and focused on the sight of Tenzin's stressed face. "Come on, Korra, wake up. Lin just called and told me the police are on their way here to investigate Kai's escape. You all have to go right now." He took a step back as Kaira sat up, allowing the Avatar room to hop out of bed. The two had fallen asleep in each others' arms, but they both still felt painfully exhausted.

"Are Pema and the kids asleep?" Korra asked while grabbing a bag to throw some clothes into. The Airbender nodded and Korra let out a sad sigh. "Hug them all for me, then. No sense in waking them up at this hour," Korra said as she closed the bag.

She turned to see Tenzin nod at her, then he handed a small silk-wrapped package to the Moon-blessed Firebender. "Consider it a gift from my mother, Katara. It was originally her design that she made in honor of Princess Yue and the Moon Spirit, and Pema touched it up just for you as she made it. She started making it the first day you were in prison," the Airbending Master said with a small touch of emotion in his voice.

Kaira smiled gratefully as she took the package and said, "I will accept it as a present from your entire family. Thank you, and be sure to tell Pema I extend my gratitude to her as well." She tucked the package under her arm and took another bag from Korra, and the two were ready to go.

The Avatar shared one last look with Tenzin that turned into a hug from the Airbender, and when they pulled away Korra said, "I'll be back one day."

Tenzin clasped her shoulder with some tears in his eyes. "I know. Now get going, the others are already gathered outside and waiting for both of you." He let his hand drop and a few moments later he stood alone in an empty room. "Good luck, Avatar."

The two girls stepped outside, the moon still hanging in the sky above and Tohle waiting with Makua and Orion. "Are you two ready?" Orion asked.

Korra shook her head and said, "Not really, but the airships are coming. Let's go while we can."

Tohle nodded and led the way to the nearby shore where Untunktahe waited right beside the island. The group of five crossed over onto the turtlelion's shell, and Tohle called out the creature's name. It began to smoothly swim away and Korra watched Air Temple Island until it became obscured by the mist that Tohle whipped up to conceal the moving island. After the mist covered even the moon so the airships wouldn't see them from above, the red haired islander led them across the turtlelion's vast back to a house situated in the middle of the animal's shell.

Korra was still in awe of the naturally growing plantlife that sprouted from Untunk's shell, but she was even more surprised at how the plants all seemed attracted to Tohle because they would slightly bend in his direction whenever he was near. It was something Korra still wanted to ask the Ocean-blessed Waterbender about, but it was only a fleeting thought to her right then. Her hand reached over to grasp Kaira's, and the Firebender shyly welcomed her touch by intertwining their fingers together.

The group went into the beautifully built house, which was already lit by ornate lamps and lanterns inside. Tohle gestured to a set of extravagantly carved stairs as he said, "Upstairs are some bedrooms, and right now the most we can do is try to sleep. Untunk will keep us moving to the Spiritual Axis point near the Northern Air Temple, which will take us a few days to reach. It's a bit south of the temple within a mountain range, but I am not certain exactly where."

The Metalbender-in-training huffed as he said, "How are we supposed to find it, then? Your little 'trick' you mentioned before?"

Tohle grinned with a wink and replied, "Leave that to me and Kai. It will take a bit of practice, but I know that we will be able to master it and put it to good use."

Orion shook his head and muttered, "Whatever you say. Sounds like a bunch of garbage to me." The red haired islander only laughed in reply while again gesturing to the stairs.

"Worry about it tomorrow, buddy," Korra said while shoving Orion to the stairs, "I'm tired now, so no arguing!" He grumbled, but only playfully as he and Korra went up the stairs. Kaira followed, but only after acknowledging Tohle on her way with a smile.

Makua crossed his arms as the sounds of doors closing faded away, and he smirked as he commented to Tohle, "So much for the peace and quiet."

The red haired Waterbender chuckled while giving Makua a shove. "Like it was ever peaceful and quiet here before!" Tohle said with a knowing grin, and Makua turned away to hide his red face.

Upstairs, Korra lit a few candles to light the room she had picked at random. The furnishings were few, but very beautiful. Each piece was masterfully carved from light-colored wood and adorned with numerous island scenes from Tohle's home. The bed looked soft and swathed in colors of lively green and sky blue with beautiful silver stitching, but it was made even more beautiful by the sight of the Moon-touched Firebender.

The shorter girl was already lying on the bed and she managed a small smile before exhaustion pulled her to sleep, the package from Tenzin still tucked close to her body. Korra briefly wondered how long it had been since Kaira had been given a genuine present, and the implications made her heart ache a little. She dropped her bag on the floor and made her way to the bed, carefully climbing onto it beside the sleeping Firebender. The Avatar laid her weary body down behind Kaira before gently curling her arms around her. Korra pressed her face into cascading white hair and sighed softly, her blue eyes closing. She had never felt so complete before in her life, her deep contentment carrying over into her dreams and filling them with tender touches and long white hair.

* * *

The sun was already high in the sky by the time Korra finally stirred. She let out a low groan while stretching, but in mid-stretch she froze when her blue eyes landed on the sight of Kaira. The Moon-touched girl was standing near the other side of the bed in brand new clothing that Korra had never seen before. Light hues of lavender-purple cloth were adorned with Water Tribe designs that clearly hailed to the sacred spirit of the Moon. Pema had modified the design of the outfit to fit in two major pieces: a long sleeved half-robe top secured with a deep dark purple sash and well-fitting pants, which would allow the Firebender the mobile freedom to move through the fluid stances of a Waterbender as well as the fast lashes of a Firebender. The Air acolyte had been very mindful of Kaira's unique bending while tailoring to the Moon-blessed Firebender from Katara's original design.

Korra's gaze finally locked on to excited purple eyes as Kaira said, "Pema did an excellent job, didn't she? She even got the sizes all right, and she never measured me! Makes me wonder how she could do something like this."

The Avatar faintly smiled as she replied, "My guess is that being a mother to three hyper Airbenders helped a lot."

Kaira's expression fell when she realized that Korra missed the Airbending family immensely, and the shorter girl crawled across the bed to hug Korra. "I'm sorry," the Firebender whispered.

The sensation of the soft lavender fabric against Korra's cheek drew a smile from the Avatar, and she tenderly pulled Kaira closer to her as she said, "Don't be. I'm exactly where I want to be." The Moon-blessed Firebender smiled. Her smile only grew when Korra met her gaze and leaned in for a kiss, which Kaira met with a soft moan. Fingers gently entwined into cascading white hair as their kiss intensified, and it only broke when both girls were gasping for air. Korra grinned at Kaira and said in a heated breath, "You look so beautiful in these..." The Avatar let her fingers trail along the dark purple sash around Kaira's waist with her whispered words.

The shorter girl shivered underneath Korra and faintly wondered when she had ended up pressed into the bed, her purple gaze looking up at the Southern Water Tribe girl with sudden shyness. When she met Korra's blue eyes, the Firebender could easily see the emotions of the Avatar's heart for her, the same truth that Kaira herself still felt so afraid to admit outloud. Kaira could see Korra's growing love, her longing, as well as an inner fear. Lightly Kaira touched Korra's cheek with a small smile. So even the Avatar felt scared. Kaira didn't feel so skittish anymore as she grasped Korra's head to hold her still for an emotion-heavy kiss.

The way Korra responded to the kiss told the Firebender that Korra understood Kaira's growing acceptance to the feelings of her heart. The Moon-blessed girl draped her arms around Korra's neck and lightly moaned when Korra pressed more against her body. She could feel a deep fire start to burn within her body in response to Korra's every breath, touch, and kiss as the Avatar moved her lips heatedly against the Firebender's left ear, just beneath her silver earcuff. Without Korra's lips over her mouth, Kaira's soft moans could be clearly heard by Korra, and the intensifying sounds kindled a similar deep flame within the Southern Water Tribe girl. She lightly gasped from it, the primal sensation a new one to her, and she sat up on her elbows to study the Firebender's expression.

Beneath her, Kaira was blushing while breathing heavily, her eyes fixated on Korra. The Avatar never though she could have such an effect on another person, nevermind the fact that it was another girl. "Why did you stop?" the Moon-blessed girl panted.

Korra grinned and replied, "Just takin' in the sights, enjoyin' the view..." She leaned down to catch Kaira's smile with a kiss, Korra's hand slowly sliding between them to pull apart the dark purple silk sash tied around the Firebender's waist...

* * *

By early evening Kaira was outside and alone with the Ocean-blessed boy. He was leading her along a small trail that ran from the back of the house and up a small hill. As they walked along the trail, Tohle spoke, "There was a time when the Moon and Ocean Spirits both existed in the physical forms of koi fish and lived together in the same sacred pool in the Northern Water Tribe. Around twelve years ago, someone committed a grave act within the waters of the pool by drowning their own daughter... I believe you are familiar with this story, Kaira."

The named Firebender froze at the crest of the hill. "H-how do you..." she started, but Tohle held up a hand for permission to continue.

"When your father Zakro tainted the sacred and pure waters by committing that act, it was decided by the elders of the Northern Water Tribe that the Ocean Spirit should be removed to another sacred pool, and the only other one that exists naturally that they knew of is the one here, in the very center of Untunk's shell. They called to their sister tribe of Ceratos, and my people answered.

"Some brave Waterbenders from your home took on the dangerous task of carrying the Ocean Spirit halfway around the world to meet up with Untunk and some of the elders of my island. After performing a cleansing ritual on the spirit, they placed it here within this sacred pool."

Kaira was in silent awe as she took in the sight of the glowing pure water hidden within an earthbended cave. She inched closer to see the black koi fish swirling and jumping from the water in excitement. Once the moment began to slip away, a thought struck Kaira. "Why did the elders of my home decide to divide the two spirits?" she questioned.

Tohle turned away and the koi became still when the red-haired islander replied, "They had learned the lesson of Spiritual Axis points and what can happen to a tainted spirit from the legend of my mother Iloea... The Moon Spirit blessed you because it also knew that it was in danger of becoming mad from the now poisoned Spiritual Axis point that it lived in. That sacred pool, just like this one here, is the foundation for a Spiritual Axis point, and the natural energies have been distorted there by your father's acts."

She lost her breath as it all sank in. She remembered reading about the legend of Iloea in a library while on her way to Republic City, but she hadn't really understood its true meaning until that moment. Her purple eyes focused on Tohle as she questioned, "...What about the Moon Spirit? My home? You said last night that corrupted points can influence the people around in negative ways... is the Northern Water Tribe okay?"

When ocean filled eyes met her gaze, she could read the answer before Tohle got it out, "No one has had contact with the Northern Water Tribe in nearly a decade... I don't know, Kaira."

Kaira sat down hard and clutched her suddenly throbbing head. "...he was right. I am a curse..." she muttered feverishly, but before she could lose herself into a familiar world of pain and self-disgust, Tohle grabbed her wrists and pulled them away from her head.

She looked up and was somewhat startled by the intimate closeness of ocean colored eyes, and Tohle's warm breath tickled across her cheek, "Listen to me, Kaira. You are _not_ a curse! What happened to you was out of your hands! You were only a child, at an age when you still needed protection, guidance, and _love_! It's not your fault, and you have been _blessed _for a reason!" The shaking of Kaira's body finally stopped and she looked away from his intense gaze. One of his hands reached out and gently pulled her chin so she would again meet his eyes. "I know you don't believe that yet, but one day you will finally see it for yourself." He released her and pulled away only after he confirmed that his words had sunk in.

The Moon-touched girl trembled a bit in the wake of Tohle's touch; it stirred her in ways that she did not dare think about. Climbing to his feet, the boy with long red hair smiled down at the girl with hair snow-white. He offered a hand and said, "Shall we start practicing that technique together now?" Kaira had to look away as she took his hand and he easily pulled her to her feet.

Performing the scrying technique that his grandma spoke of, however, was much more difficult than it had sounded. Kaira had to maintain a constantly burning flame above her palm, but the girl wasn't sure how to just hold her own fire. After several failed attempts and Tohle nearly losing his eyebrows, he said, "Wait, let me go get Korra. She's the Avatar; if anyone knows Firebending, she does."

He left Kaira alone before she could even reply and she frowned while looking down at her hands. "Some Firebender I am. I can create lightning but I can't hold my own flame," she muttered to herself while holding up a palm. She focused her naturally flowing Chi to a fixed point right above her palm as if it were an anchor point for the release of her energy, and with a flex of power she ignited her purple-white fire. A flaming orb burned precariously over her palm, sustained by her constant flow of Chi energy, and she grinned wide.

The Avatar entered the cave and came to a stop with a smirk. "See, Tohle? She's got it just fine now," Korra said as the red-haired islander stood beside her.

"So it appears! Well done, Kaira! Now we have to focus on you maintaining that while I bend an orb of water from the sacred pool around it. Your moon fire will illuminate flashes of visions across the water surface for us to see," Tohle explained as he moved to stand in front of Kaira. Korra sat to watch as the Ocean-blessed boy slid fluidly through traditional Waterbending stances. A bubble of glowing blue water drifted up from the sacred pool and stretched out into a long tendril of water that curled around his tan body. He looked at Kaira and when she nodded her head, he brought his hands around her maintained fire and the glowing water followed. It swirled all around Kaira's purple-white flame and encompassed it without extinguishing it.

Tohle, Kaira, and Korra leaned close to see as the orb of water began to flash different colors. A mountain range appeared across the shimmering surface of the orb, and Kaira let out an excited sound. She lost the focus of her Chi flow and her fire went out. The sacred pool orb collapsed in on itself and fell from Tohle's control, drenching Kaira's hands and a part of Korra's face, who had been way too close.

The Moon-blessed girl laughed despite her effort to contain it as she said, "S-sorry! That was just really awesome! Can we try again?"

Tohle grinned and nodded while Korra wiped off her face.

* * *

Kaira finally collapsed, panting heavily as she said, "P-please, enough!"

Tohle smiled but at last said, "Alright, I suppose that's good enough for today..." He laughed when he got the desired glare from the Moon-touched girl, the two alone in the cave. The islander bent down to scoop up a journal that he had used to record the few images they had received and read them off, "So we've got a mountain range, flashes of an odd-looking cave, and something about 'the soul of the mountain'."

The girl fell flat on her back as she replied, "Well I don't really know what it means, but does it tell you anything about a specific location?"

Tohle only shook his head no while closing the journal. His ocean-blue eyes scanned across Kaira's long hair for a moment, then he said, "Perhaps when we get closer to the Northern Air Temple we will get clearer images and messages."

It was quiet for a moment before Kaira whispered, "Could we go see the Northern Water Tribe?"

The ocean-blessed boy knelt down beside Kaira while lightly taking her hand and he said, "I don't think that's a good idea right now... The best advice we can follow is what our scrying tells us."

The Northern Water Tribe girl pulled her hand away from his touch. "I figured as much," she muttered, turning away from him to face the sacred pool, where the Ocean Spirit flipped out of the water.

Tohle stood and turned to leave, but he paused to say, "Dinner will be ready soon back at the house, so feel free to join us if you want." She didn't respond, and he quietly left her alone to her troubling thoughts, but only for a short time because he intended to send out Korra so the Moon-blessed girl would not have to hurt alone.

The Avatar approached a few minutes later, and as soon as Kaira heard her familiar foot falls behind, the Firebender sat up and tightly hugged Korra's waist. "Nothing can ever be easy, can it?" Kaira asked in a sad voice.

Korra went down on her knees to hold the Firebender close and she replied, "But the good things are just made sweeter because of that."

Kaira let out a small laugh and playfully said, "I never expected you to be one overflowing with wisdom."

"Hey!" Korra retorted while gently tweaking the white-haired girl's nose, "I _am_ the Avatar. Technically, my soul is the wisest of all!"

Laughing louder, Kaira prodded Korra's ticklish stomach and said, "That doesn't mean you're always tapped into that infinite wisdom!"

"You're just asking for it, aren't you?" the Avatar whispered dangerously.

The Moon-touched girl flashed a challenging grin. Although Korra was so tempted to rise up to that challenge right then and there, she knew there wouldn't be enough time. Instead she nipped the edge of Kaira's ear and pulled away with a taunting grin. "Come on, there will be time for that later, but they'll come looking for us if we don't show up for dinner," Korra said.

"Sure, sure, whatever you want to tell yourself to make you feel better about giving up against me," Kaira playfully chided. She laughed and dashed out of the cave when Korra growled and reached out to poke her sides.

"You just wait, Kaira!" the Avatar called while she followed the Firebender outside.

* * *

Untunk traversed across the vast sea without tiring, closing the distance to the Northern Air Temple. During the days it took to get close to the area, the group of young benders used the time for training. Tohle and Kaira worked closely together to try and master the scrying technique, but it was an exhausting ordeal for the Firebender. Despite the struggle, Kaira was happy to have something difficult to focus on because it kept her mind free from the dark thoughts of her recent crimes.

Orion and Korra continued their rigorous Metalbending training routines that Lin had drilled into them, but it became clear that the Earthbender boy was growing angry. He was frustrated with how fast Korra was advancing. One afternoon, he angrily shot a cord of metal through the trunk of a tree after another humiliating defeat in a spar with the Avatar.

"Whoa, Orion, calm down. You'll get the hang of it..." Korra said while taking a step towards the Earthbender to clasp his shoulder.

He growled and pulled away from her reach as he spat, "Easy for you to say! You're the Avatar, you don't have to try hard at anything! It all just comes so naturally to you!" His words stung her as if he had slapped her across the face. Her expression fell and instantly Orion wished he could choke his words back down.

"...You of all people should know that's not true... I can't bend a single damn gust of wind no matter what I try!"

"Korra, I'm sorry..."

The Avatar bit her lip and turned away. "I think I'm done for today..." She walked off and left Orion alone and now angry at himself.

"..._Dammit!_" He slugged his fist through a rather large boulder and left it in pieces before he disappeared in the opposite direction.

Makua had overheard their shouts and he paused on his way to the house. Instead he changed course and headed up the hill to the cave that hid the sacred pool. "Tohle? Sorry to interrupt..." the dark haired boy called as he went inside, accidentally breaking Kaira's focus and causing the scrying orb to collapse all over her hands.

Tohle chuckled and patted her arm as he looked at Makua. "What's on your mind?"

Makua sighed and leaned against a wall of the small cave, shaking his head. "I am having doubts about all of this. How is a rag-tag group of benders like us supposed to actually _do _this?" Tohle shared a look with Kaira, but before the Firebender could excuse herself, Makua bluntly went on, "I mean, look at us! We have an Avatar who isn't really an Avatar because she doesn't know how to bend air, a 'Metalbender' who can't keep control of metal, and you both have been at this scrying thing for days but we still don't know where we're actually going! I just don't see how we are the saviors for both the Spiritual Realm and our realm!"

Kaira bit her tongue with enough savage force to draw blood. Her own doubts mirrored with Makua's words and her thoughts were easy to read from her expression. The ocean-blessed boy saw her emotional change and knew that he had to do something, but before he had time to come up with an idea Kaira left the cave without a word.

How did she ever think that she could be something good? It really seemed like a lost cause and the Firebender had no faith in her own abilities. Her feet came to a stop only when she reached the edge of Untunk's vast shell. Heavily she sank down to sit beside an old engraved stone and struggled against the rising sting of tears. It was a failed effort. Kaira pulled her golden framed glasses off to cover her face with her hands, so she wasn't aware when the turtlelion lifted his massive head from the waves.

He startled her from her crying when his deep voice rumbled, "What causes your tears, Young Moon?"

For a moment she was too surprised to reply, but soon she sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I c-can't do this..." she responded feebly. "I can't be the hero that people need."

"You are certain of this?"

"Yes! How can someone like me do any good for anyone? My entire life I have been nothing but a plague to others..."

"That's not true, Kai, and you know it."

The Firebender turned to see Orion approaching, and she could not stop the bitter laugh that sounded. "That was just a fluke when I restored your bending. I haven't been able to do it again since then! It just made people hate me more."

"So what? You still managed to impact my life for the better, so you can't say that you have only been a plague to others because that's simply not true."

Untunk let out a deep breath before he added, "You only limit yourself by holding on to that kind of belief. That sort of thinking will always stop you from the greatness that you are truly capable of. You will never know your potential if you stop yourself before you even try, Young Moon."

Kaira bit her lip. She had heard similar things before, but changing her viewpoint about herself seemed impossible. Her silence betrayed her doubts, and Untunk said, "It is never easy to change your way of thinking, but it is not impossible. Just remember that, and do not give up on yourself."

"I have faith in you," Orion quietly added.

The Firebender looked in his direction in surprise, but Orion was walking away rather quickly. She turned back around to face the ocean, but before she could dismiss the comment, Untunk repeated Orion, "I also have faith in you, young one. Do not give up just yet. The journey ahead will be difficult, but by no means are you alone for it."

Kaira leaned back on her hands while she thought about it all. Of course she knew that he was right, but it was comforting to be reminded that she wasn't all alone anymore. Still, if she was going to be able to help anyone, she had to learn how to better control her bending. It was hard to see it as something that could be used for good things, but with every passing day Kaira felt more confident about being a bender.

She climbed to her feet and called out her thanks to Untunk as she walked away to find Korra. The majestic turtlelion smiled to himself before submerging his head again, always tirelessly swimming through the vast oceans. He knew that they were close to their destination, and close to the first Spiritual Axis point that desperately needed them.

* * *

By the time early evening fell, Kaira was exhausted but she had finally perfected the technique of maintaining her flame thanks to some guidance from Korra. The two girls sat together beneath a tree while the tired Firebender caught her breath, her head laying comfortably on the Avatar's lap. Gently Korra ran her fingers through long white hair while the Moon-blessed girl thoughtfully watched the sky.

They were both quiet for a long while, until Kaira said in a hushed voice, "I don't really know if I can be of much help, but I want to try anyway. It's a bit strange for me to be willing to use my bending so much..."

"I think you will get used to it pretty fast though," Korra said with her crooked grin. Kaira smiled in reply, and the Southern Water Tribe girl leaned down to give Kaira's forehead a light kiss. When she sat up straight again, Korra said, "It makes me happy to see you finally accepting your bending, Kaira." The Firebender sheepishly grinned in response and nodded. The Avatar tweaked Kaira's nose playfully and added, "Took ya long enough!"

After waving away Korra's hand, the white-haired girl said, "Maybe now I can hold my flame long enough to get some information that we can actually use. We're only half a day away from reaching the shore near the Northern Air Temple, but we still don't know where to go once we do get there."

Korra nodded as she replied, "Yeah, and the 'soul of the mountain' doesn't exactly pinpoint a location. There are many mountains around the air temple according to the map..."

Kaira sat up with her response, "And hiking across every one is just unreasonable. I think I am going to see if Tohle would be willing to try the scrying technique once more tonight. I have a feeling that we can get it to work better this time."

At these words, Korra easily leaped to her feet and offered a hand to the Firebender still sitting on the ground. She helped Kaira up and said, "Let's go find him, then!"

The two girls located Tohle meditating along the shore of the river, a tendril of water flowing around his body. When he heard them approach, he relaxed from the graceful motions of waterbending and the water he had been manipulating smoothly rejoined the river. The Ocean-blessed boy turned to smile at Kaira and Korra as he said, "Good evening to both of you."

The two girls greeted him in turn, then Kaira said, "I've been working on maintaining my fire with Korra's help and I think I've finally got the hang of it. Would you be willing to give the scrying technique one more shot right now?"

Tohle's smile grew wider. "Let's get to it!"

Soon, the three all stood within the illuminated cave, Kaira and Tohle in their beginning stances and Korra holding the journal to record anything new that they saw. Kaira met the ocean-blue gaze of Tohle, and when he nodded, the moon-touched girl deeply inhaled and tightened her focus on her Chi. Almost instantly her purple-white fire burst into life above her palm, the light from her flame much brighter than her previous attempts.

Tohle easily coaxed a length of the glowing sacred pool water up and morphed it into a flowing orb around Kaira's fire. All across the surface of the illuminated water images flickered in and out, none staying visible long enough to discern details until Kaira carefully flexed her fire to fill the inside of the water orb without touching it. Once she did, the images vividly slammed into focus and all three benders leaned in closer.

The Northern Air Temple came into view for a moment, then the orb guided the image to show a path through the nearby mountain range. It wound its way around two mountains before dipping down into a tiny valley at the base of a third mountain. Korra furiously wrote down notes as the glowing orb depicted an encampment that filled the valley comprised of tents, a refining factory, and some drilling machinery. The view shifted to zoom in on the base of the mountain and focused on the peculiar cave that had been shown before, but now it was obvious that the cave was a man-made mine.

Korra gasped loudly when she recognized the style of the uniforms that the mine workers were wearing and she said, "Those are Equalist members!"

"They must be mining that mountain for the metal they use for their machines," Kaira filled in.

The orb's image came to a stop, now focused on a vein of precious metal that was being hammered right out of the core of the mountain, and Tohle said in a grim tone, "They are ripping 'the soul of the mountain' out to build their machines of hate and destruction. That is how they are poisoning this Spiritual Axis point. We will have to stop their entire operation before we can cleanse and again balance this Axis point of earth."

_Chapter 8 End~_


	9. Ch 9: New Nemesis

Chapter 9: New Nemesis

There was absolute silence between the two as they peered over a ridge to survey the camp in the valley below. Orion jolted down details about the forces he saw in the encampment, trying to write as much information as possible. "They have so much machinery down there," Korra faintly whispered before she leaned over to squint down at Orion's undecipherable scrawl. The Earthbender nodded in reply while adding a small and simple map of the area, marking the locations of the mine entrance, machinery, the refining factory and the only road in and out of the valley.

He quickly double-checked the map and then gave a nod. "Okay, I have what I need, so let's get back to the temple." The Avatar nodded and they silently slipped away from their scouting position. The two benders had to use their Earthbending to scale the steep slope up to the ridge and they used it again to climb down as well as hide all traces of their presence.

Naga wagged her tail when they reached her, the polarbeardog kneeling down so they could easily climb onto her back. The Water Tribe girl gently nudged Naga into moving and soon the animal was running back towards the Northern Air Temple. "Do you have any ideas yet about how we deal with this?" Korra asked over her shoulder.

Orion waved the journal as he answered, "Yes, but it's not going to be easy… They have a lot of firepower waiting back there."

His grim expression betrayed his concerns about the fight that lay ahead of them, but Korra grinned while patting one of her biceps. "We've got a lot of firepower, too! They won't know what hit them!"

Orion couldn't help the smile that formed. "Just try to hold on to that confidence for our ambush. We're going to need it," he said while again waving the journal.

It took a little over twenty minutes for Naga at a full gallop to reach the abandoned Air Temple where the rest of the group waited to learn about the details of the mining camp. Kaira waited at the base of the plateau to greet them and she shared a smile with the Avatar when Korra slid off of Naga. The Avatar approached with Naga following close behind until they stood by the base of the tall plateau that held the Air Temple on top. Orion clumsily fell off of Naga but still managed to land on his feet, and together with Korra they started to lift a slab of earth to carry them up.

When they reached the top, the group stepped onto the plateau and the slab of earth retracted into the wall of the plateau. "How did it go?" Kaira asked.

"We'll talk about it with the others when we get inside," Orion said as he briskly walked to a nearby building that they were using as a temporary headquarters. Naga yipped as she playfully darted into a small grove, seeking out her new playmate and native resident of the area: a small flying lemurmonkey.

Korra and Kaira followed Orion into the living quarters, and inside Tohle and Makua waited at a table covered with freshly made food. Korra plopped down and eagerly dove into dinner without a word, but Orion cleared some space on the table to place the open journal. Both Tohle and Kaira peered over his notes but they had a difficult time discerning words from his handwriting.

The Metalbender-in-training waved for them to sit, then he poured over the intelligence before speaking, "Based on what we saw, they have roughly two to three hundred people stationed at the camp. There is a factory, which is the only solid structure in the valley, and a lot of machinery. Most of it is for drilling, but some of it is for pure force and protection." Orion paused to meet everyone's eyes, then he added, "I saw at least ten tanks and two of those platinum fighting suit monstrosities, but there could easily be more hidden away. If we want to stand any chance of driving the Equalists out, then we have to cripple their machines first."

"How do we go about that?" Tohle asked.

"The tanks will be easy because they are made of iron and steel, so Korra and I can disable them with bending. The fighting suits are another matter though," Orion replied before falling into a thoughtful silence.

"Fire," Kaira suggested.

This made Orion laugh as he replied, "These are huge armored fighting suits that are specifically designed to combat benders! Fire won't exactly penetrate them."

Kaira shook her head as she smiled. "Not from the outside perhaps, but from within." A confused silence trailed her words, but Kaira got to her feet to explain. "While I was… was working for Amon, I found out that those machines were invented by the same guy who created the combustion engines used in cars. All we have to do is use their own design against them by blowing up the engine from the inside. We can't firebend to them from the outside, but we can take control of the sparks inside and ignite the fuel, and from there – boom!"

"That might work, but we only have one bender capable of doing that. If they have more of those fighting suits hidden somewhere, it could be the end of us," Orion said flatly.

"What choice do we have? It's better than nothing," Kaira replied.

Orion sighed but said, "Fine, but we have to anticipate more than two of those suits and the fact that we more than likely will be discovered before we can disable both of them. We have to think of another way to take them down."

"We can target their hydraulic system," Kaira offered.

"Hydraulic system?" Orion and Tohle questioned in unison.

The moon-blessed girl nodded and said, "They use hydraulics to help move the heavy parts of the machine. Just freeze it and you can back up the water to increase the pressure and hopefully blow a hole in the system. Other Waterbenders have tried similar methods, but it only works about half of the time and they usually ended up dead…"

"We should use it as a last resort then," Orion stated as he added notes to the journal. "Thanks though, now I can better think of our plan of attack…" He fell quiet as his focus shifted to numerous ideas in his head, occasionally writing down something as he thought of it.

Korra rose to her feet after taking a big swig of water and she stretched. "I am going to go take a look around the temple, and maybe do some training," the Avatar said as she headed towards the door. Kaira instinctively followed her outside.

As soon as they stood in the center of the old training yard, Korra turned to the Firebender and asked, "Do you think you can teach me how to control fire like you do?"

The white-haired girl was taken by surprise for a moment before she could formulate a response, "You want to learn from me?" It seemed so farfetched to Kaira that Korra wanted to be trained by her. She almost didn't believe it.

Korra nodded, "Yeah. If I can take control of fire like you do, then maybe I can help to blow those stupid machines to the sky."

Kaira bit her lip for a moment, then she said, "I don't know… I barely know how to bend fire like most Firebenders do. I don't think I would be a good teacher to anyone else."

In response Korra smiled and gently took one of Kaira's hands in her own. "How about this: I will teach you how to bend fire like a Firebender, and you teach me how to bend fire like a Waterbender. I think that is a good trade."

Kaira was hesitant, but Korra's beautiful blue eyes compelled her into saying, "I can give it a shot."

Korra jumped into the air with an excited whoop, then she pulled Kaira to stand beside her. "Okay, we will start with some basic Firebending stances. Copy what I do…"

The Avatar guided Kaira through some simple Firebending motions and taught her how to better concentrate her Chi while lashing out. By the end of the hour, Kaira felt more confident and she could unleash a simple but rapid three-point combination. She grinned wide while Korra nodded her approval, then Kaira said, "Okay, well… The best way to bend fire like water is to treat it like water."

Korra shook her head and replied, "I've tried that, but I end up either blowing myself up or bending actual water." When Kaira raised a questioning eyebrow, the Avatar added, "I did some experimenting back in Republic City while waiting for you to get out of prison…"

Kaira faintly smiled for a moment before she said, "Maybe I should show you… Stand on the other end of the training yard and wait for my word, then I want you to throw fire at me." Korra walked to the edge of the courtyard and turned to face the moon-blessed girl. Kaira stood in familiar Waterbender stance, purple eyes focused on Korra. "Now," the Firebender directed.

The Avatar focused her energy and shot a quick punch at Kaira, fire erupting from Korra's control. She watched the fire scream towards the waiting girl, and once it was within range Kaira took a fluid step backwards while her hands curved through the air to catch control of the fire just as if it was water. The flames moved under her direction and burned with her purple-white colors as soon as they passed under her hands. The fire curled around her body as she spun in place, and she came to a stop while her smoothly moving hands guided the flames into an arc above her head. With a flick of her wrist, Kaira released the fire to let it disperse in the air above and brought her focus back down to Korra.

"The trick is to keep it moving. It's easier to control fire if it's in motion rather than trying to hold it in one place, though that is possible. I think that you are using your Chi like a Firebender does when creating flames, but you need to grasp the energy that's already there rather than create it. Once you learn how to grab the existing energy, it shouldn't blow up in your face."

"You make it sound so simple," Korra said sarcastically.

A sheepish laugh sounded from the shorter girl as she replied, "I told you I'm not a good teacher."

The Avatar chuckled and said, "Learned a lot more from you than I have from blowing myself up! Should we test it?"

"I'm not going to hurl fire at you this soon! No, I'd rather work on the motions with you first and how they relate to handling fire," Kaira responded while gesturing Korra towards her.

"But I already know the motions," the Southern Water Tribe girl said before perfectly replicating the same sequence that Kaira had just done.

"Yes, but only with bending water. You have to understand how to use the same motions in relation to fire, though. Let me guide you through this sequence and what I do for each step," Kaira said while easily adopting the starting stance, Korra mirroring her position to follow along with Kaira's guidance.

* * *

The group spent the next two days coordinating Orion's plan of attack, to make sure everyone understood what needed to happen and when it needed to happen. The general idea seemed sound in theory – split into two smaller groups and try to funnel the Equalists towards the only road in and out by approaching the camp from two points at the back of the valley – but Orion was still troubled. He constantly wondered if the camp was concealing more defenses, but it was impossible to judge from their scouting trips because their viewpoint was too high. It prevented them from glimpsing into the tents or the factory, and so Orion was concerned about what they could be missing.

They didn't really have much choice otherwise and time was running out. If the Equalists continued to ruthlessly mine the soul of the mountain, the Axis point could collapse and cause an unstable rift between the two realms. Only calamity would follow in the wake of such a devastating event.

It was early evening across the abandoned Air Temple when Kaira silently excused herself from yet another briefing by Orion. The Firebender made her way outside slowly, feeling the weight of dark thoughts rising with every step. When Korra followed her a few minutes later, she found Kaira watching the ocean with an expression of sadness across her face. The Avatar sat on the low-rising wall beside Kaira, but before Korra could ask what was wrong, the Firebender spoke, "Korra… have you ever taken someone's life?"

Korra was quiet for a moment, then she responded, "No. I haven't had to…"

The Firebender deeply sighed and rubbed her face. "I don't know if I can do this… taking the life of another person again. This fight means that people are going to die, probably a lot of people. That kind of thing leaves deep scars on the soul – and my soul is still in agony from the mistakes I've already made…" Her words fizzled out into silence and she buried her face into her hands as her body quivered from the suppressed tears.

Beside her, the Avatar bit her lip. Korra had no words to try and soothe the Firebender's pain, but she tenderly pulled Kaira into her arms and held her close. "I know this probably won't help, but what we have to do to save the Axis point is necessary. If we just leave it and the point collapses, far more lives will be in danger in the future," Korra whispered gently.

The moon-touched girl sniffed and mumbled, "Justified or not, I still don't think it's right… but I know that I have to do this."

"We all do, Kaira. You aren't bearing this weight alone. We're in this together," Korra said.

The smaller girl pulled away from Korra far enough to look up into those soothing blue eyes for a moment. Then Kaira faintly echoed Korra's smile and said, "Thank you for reminding me. We all have to support each other in the upcoming struggles."

The Avatar's smile grew bigger as she nodded her head, and the two girls leaned close for a light kiss. Once they parted, Korra said, "Orion wants us to move into position after dark falls, but spring our attack at dawn. That's the only time that the amount of guards patrolling is low."

Kaira gave a nod and stood up on her feet. She held out a hand to Korra and asked, "Shall we squeeze in a few minutes of Firebending training before then?" An eager grin struck the Avatar's lips and she clasped Kaira's offered hand.

* * *

Drifting up from the valley below, the hidden group could hear numerous different sounds. Loud voices, laughter, and the low constant hum of machinery in operation were a few among the symphony of noise. "It's a lot bigger than I anticipated," Kaira muttered to herself as she scanned the camp. Orion drew her attention down to the small map he had drawn, and at his direction Kaira carefully ignited a small flame above her palm so they all could see the map.

The Metalbender-in-training pointed to key places on the map and gestured to how they related down in the valley, "Right there is the mine's entrance – it's near the middle on the left side of the camp. Their tanks are split into two groups; most of them are stationed near the road out, but a few are on standby at the back of the camp where we will drop in first. Over on the right stands the refining factory, which is where I saw the two fighting suits. We need to try and disable the suits before anything else."

Korra nodded and patted her arm, "Leave that to Kaira and me. We'll take them out."

Orion met her eyes with a very serious expression as he said, "Be alert at all times down there. We still don't know if they are hiding more and we _cannot _afford to be caught off-guard." Korra and Kaira both nodded, then Orion turned to address Tohle and Makua. "You two will go with me to start on the tanks at the back, and once we are noticed, I will sneak to the tanks by the road and meet up with Korra there to disable them. Meanwhile, you two and Kaira start pushing people out of the valley towards the road, and Korra and I will sweep around the sides for some extra motivation for the workers to leave the camp. If all goes perfectly, this will be our execution of attack."

"Do you really expect it to work out that way?" Makua questioned.

In response Orion shook his head and said, "No, but that is the ideal scenario. If we do fall into trouble, then we regroup at our entry point at the back of the camp. We'll enter behind that pile of boulders right down there." The Metalbender-in-training gestured to the group of rocks directly below their vantage point so everyone understood where to go.

"Well, I hope that your plan works out," Makua said with some skepticism.

Orion ignored his tone while his green gaze swept over the expanse of the valley below and he gritted his teeth together. "I swear on my father's memory that I will drive those Equalists out and eventually put an end to Amon's twisted influence on this world for good."

* * *

The pre-light of dawn started to streak across the skies above by the time Kaira was gently shaken awake. She released a low groan and sat up from her position with her head on the sleeping Avatar's lap. Orion then roused Korra and moved to Tohle and Makua next while Korra sat up straight from the rock she had been leaning against. She gave a mighty stretch before climbing to her feet beside the moon-blessed Firebender.

Orion held a bag in hand as he approached each bender and handed out light brown cloaks to everyone. "These will help us blend in long enough to get into position," Orion said as he handed one to Korra.

"Where did you even find these?" the Avatar questioned while eyeing the material in her hand.

"I enlisted the help of Naga's little friend from the Air Temple. He works for the price of peanuts pretty much… Well, if you consider berries the same as peanuts," Orion explained and pointed to the small flying lemurmonkey sleeping on a nearby tree branch.

Korra couldn't help the smile that formed, and she then donned the cloak and arranged it to cover her features like the others. Once the hoods were up to obscure the majority of their faces, the cloaked figure that was Orion gave a nod. "Alright, everyone. Remember the plan and the things that are required of each of you. Korra, Makua? Let's start moving some earth."

The Avatar easily fell into a sturdy stance and tore open a hole in the ground. Orion stepped in first with Tohle and Kaira close to him, and Makua and Korra took the rear of the group, resealing the gaping rift behind them to hide their escape route. Kaira ignited a small purple-white flame to help the group see well enough to avoid tripping, and Orion carefully led the way down the inside of the slope to their exit destination just below the valley floor.

The benders all remained utterly silent and the tension in the dark tunnel became thick and heavy. Even though Korra knew that they were heading into danger, she still felt thrilled at the prospect of fighting and she could not make her grin go away no matter how hard she tried. Soon Orion pushed the tunnel to level out and came to a stop. He motioned for everyone to stay quiet before he silently opened a small gap above his head. He hoisted himself up far enough to see if he had led them to the right spot behind the boulder pile, then he quickly climbed out of the hole. Makua urged the earth to form into a small staircase, and one by one the benders followed Orion into enemy territory.

After Korra climbed out of the hole last, she sealed a thin lid of earth over their tunnel to hide it, and turned to see Orion pointing towards the factory building. The two girls nodded and the group split up. Kaira and Korra left the boulder pile first and made their way casually through the city of tents. Only a few workers were even awake at that hour and for the most part they didn't give the two figures much thought.

Up ahead, the girls could see the refining factory looming over the tops of the tents and Korra pointed to a couple of large objects standing by the eastern wall of the building. Kaira gave a small nod and the two turned to skirt around a large tent while a group of Equalists approached from the walkway they had just been traversing through. "Let's try to avoid groups," Kaira whispered softly and the Avatar quietly nodded in agreement.

They abruptly turned another corner where Kaira slammed into the body of someone they didn't see and sent both the Firebender and the stranger tumbling into the sparse grass. "Hey! Try to be careful going around these tents! Ugh, I told the guys when they put the tents up to keep them spaced farther apart; this is the third time this week that someone has run into me."

Kaira scrambled to her feet while quickly apologizing, but too late she realized that the hood had slipped off of her head to clearly reveal her. The woman Kaira had collided into suddenly froze when she saw long white hair and her pale green eyes narrowed dangerously. "…It can't be," the dark haired woman muttered almost to herself, but a short man who was helping her back up let out a hiss, "_The Cursed Firebender?!_" The woman shot to her feet while raising an electrically charged gloved hand, knocking the man into the nearby tent in the process and inadvertently bringing the entire structure down on them both.

Korra grasped Kaira's hand and pulled her away as she said, "So much for the stealth approach! C'mon!"

The two benders tore away as the woman struggled to free herself from the choking fabric, and her voice called out in alarm, "Intruders! There are benders in the valley! Find them!"

Korra and Kai ran headlong towards the factory while a few startled Equalists dodged out of their path. A couple of workers finally pulled the collapsed tent off of the two trapped Equalists and one of them helped the dark woman up as he asked, "Are you hurt, Lady Sato?"

She growled and roughly pushed past him, green eyes darting around for signs of the two benders. Once she saw that they were nearing the factory, she turned on her heel and dashed in the other direction, to a big tent near the mine entrance.

Orion, Makua, and Tohle all heard the commotion as workers were roused from sleep and the alarm for intruders swept across the valley. "It's now or never, you two!" Orion called, and in unison the three guys darted from the boulders and towards the small group of tanks. Tohle took the lead as his hands fluidly moved before him. The sparse grass around the feet of the Equalists trying to enter the tanks reacted and snagged them, sending several hurling to the hard ground with strangled yelps. Tohle then directed the water within the plants to tie the fallen securely to the ground, but a few managed to escape his plantbending and scrambled into one of the tanks.

Makua grunted as he forced the earth under the tanks to shudder and split apart, causing two of the large metal vehicles to roll over onto their sides amongst the rubble and rendering them useless when Orion drew them into the crushing ground. A third tank roared to life and charged for them, so the Metalbender-in-training lashed out with a metal cord. He snagged the tank and yanked himself onto the roof of the machine. Makua focused on pulling the fourth and last tank into the ground before it could be used, and Tohle brought several more workers down with tangling grass as they tried to reach the benders.

The brunette Metalbender-in-training let out a powerful roar as his hands embedded into the metal, and he then tore the roof completely off. The three operators inside looked up at Orion with surprise and fear on their faces, and loudly the bender growled, "Get out now if you wish to see another sunrise!" They scrambled and pushed over each other to escape the metal deathtrap, and once the last Equalist had fallen out, Orion crumpled the tank's interior until it was completely out of operation.

He ripped his hands free and jumped off of the vehicle while the motor sputtered out, landing near Tohle and Makua. "Slight change of plans. We need to find the girls right now," Orion panted, but before they could move, a loud whirring sound drew their attention towards the tents by the mine entrance.

Over by the factory, Korra and Kaira had reached the two fighting suits as they were being powered up. The moon-blessed Firebender turned her attention to one while Korra stood behind her, making the earth tremble and slowing down the advancing Equalists. The Avatar stomped the ground to tear free large chunks of earth and sent them flying into the multitude of tents and approaching figures.

Kaira had to block out the all-too-familiar screams of pain so she could focus on the very real danger in front of her. The operator inside of the platinum fighting suit closest to her smirked wide as he pulled a lever and the suit rose to its feet. Kaira did not hesitate as she took a deep breath in and slid into motion. She reached for that small source of fire within the protection of the platinum armor, and once she found it she united it with her Chi. The spark she had caught ignited with the intense energy of her fire and exploded inside of the fighting suit's internal machinery, instantly dropping it to one knee. The operator inside didn't have enough time to react before the fire licked across the fuel supply and exploded with tremendous force, destroying the entire machine and the Equalist inside while throwing the second suit and Kaira through the air in different directions.

The Firebender landed with a grunt by Korra's feet, but the Avatar could not break her concentration. An onslaught of well-trained Chi blockers were now rushing her and it was all she could do to even slow them down. "Get up!" Korra cried out. The smaller girl groaned painfully but pushed herself up to her feet. The second fighting suit was still on the ground but the hatch was open, showing that its operator had abandoned it after witnessing Kaira blow up the first with its occupant still inside.

"Korra! I have an idea! Keep those Chi blockers away for just a bit more!"

"Like I have a choice!" Korra gasped, dropping low to the ground to lift a sturdy solid wall of earth and then rising and pushing forward to send the structure crashing into the front line.

The smaller girl climbed into the open hatch and pulled it shut behind her before situating herself in the slanted seat. "Now how to get this thing up…" she mumbled to herself while scrutinizing the controls.

The three guys had started towards the whirring noise but Orion made them all stop as he said, "I knew they were hiding more…!" The tent fell away as three more of the platinum fighting suits stood in unison, the one in the middle sporting a larger size and a wider array of weaponry. Inside of the biggest machine, Lady Asami Sato grimaced as she hatefully glared at the three benders standing among a crowd of jeering Equalists.

"Move aside, men," Asami said through the intercom to her workers. They instantly obeyed and cleared the way as the suit lifted an arm towards the benders. Orion made a subtle gesture to Makua, and when a long electrified cord shot out towards them, Orion lifted a wall of earth to slow it down while in the same motion Makua opened the ground beneath them.

The crowd of Equalists all screamed in anger as the three benders escaped into the earth and quickly started to move towards the factory and the girls. "No! Find them! They will not leave this valley alive!" the angry woman said to the Equalists on the ground, and to herself she whispered, "Benders have already taken too much from me… I will not let them put an end to my father's final operation, too!" Putting the suit in gear, Asami started towards the factory where she had seen the first two benders headed, while memories of witnessing her father's recent and brutal demise tore through her mind yet again.

If it was the last thing she did, she would absolutely put an end to those benders.

Her fighting suit quickly closed the distance to the factory, but when she got there she was met by a confusing sight. One of her fighting suits was clumsily but effectively cutting through the ranks of Equalists that came too close to a lone figure that was in a constant flurry of motion. Asami's pale green eyes narrowed as she realized the lone bender was flinging fire as well as tearing the earth interchangeably. "The Avatar is here, too… Something isn't right about this entire situation," the woman whispered to herself, but before she could dwell on it, the ground lost solidity beneath her suit's feet. She let out a surprised cry as her suit lost footing and the rogue suit barreled towards her.

Asami gritted her teeth together and flipped a lid at the end of her steering lever to reveal a small button. She waited until the suit coming for her swung a huge metal fist back, then her thumb pushed the small button. Her upgraded suit responded with a loud whoosh and she was propelled by two giant jets of fire into the air over the swinging suit. She smirked while she watched the rogue suit fall into the rubble pit with its momentum unhindered from a missed swing, and she landed heavily right behind the Avatar.

The two suits that had followed her from the tent both attacked the fallen suit, and Asami heard the Avatar unleash a hellish scream. Beside Korra, the ground opened up and out popped two of the male benders, but Asami focused on the Avatar who was no longer paying attention to the dangers around her. Korra started towards the fallen suit as the other two Equalist controlled fighters discharged an immense amount of electricity into it, blowing the circuitry and rendering it useless.

"Got you~," Asami purred while releasing an electrically charged net, ensnaring the Avatar and bringing her down hard. Immediately afterwards, her entire suit shook with the force of a large boulder cracking against the back of it, dangerously close to her hidden fuel lines and forcing her to divert her attention from the fallen Avatar. She turned to face the Metalbender Orion as he lifted another large boulder from the ground, his expression hard as he stared Asami down.

She growled under her breath as she charged up the electric current of her suit and then lashed out with a charged coil to try to zap the Earthbender. Asami saw him smirk and jump aside as soon as she fired the coil, causing her to miss her mark. In the same motion he launched the boulder he had torn free, sending it crashing into Asami's fighting suit and almost knocking it flat to the ground.

Behind the furious woman, Korra finally pulled herself free of the discharged net with some help from Tohle, and she scrambled to her feet while calling out Kaira's name. The two suits that had brought her down were hammering away at the hatch, trying to break into the cockpit to get to the bender trapped inside, and the sight of this drove the Avatar's fury to new heights. She charged forward, despite her feet stumbling from her body being recently electrocuted, and once she was within bending range she fell into a Waterbending stance.

With Kaira's voice echoing in her head to guide her, Korra reached out to feel for the existing energy within the powered up suits. It took only a breath of a moment for Korra to find the flare of energy within both machines and fueled them with her own furious Chi, instantly igniting the fuel lines and incinerating the two fighting suits into glorious fireballs. Korra and dozens of Chi blockers closing in around her were flung backwards by the intense force, and the sound of the explosions drew Asami's horrified gaze.

"Th-they found a way to blow these up…? But how!?" she feverishly whispered as her suit shook from another barrage of boulders from Orion and Makua. The daughter of Hiroshi Sato knew that she had to run now, and she was absolutely livid about this. She bit her tongue and turned the suit to run far enough across the camp to reach one of the trucks that they used to carry the ore to the distant shore to be loaded into shipping boats.

It was her only hope to escape.

Orion and Makua wanted to give chase, but again Equalists closed in around the benders and allowed Asami enough time to get away. A low rumble could be faintly discerned beneath the chaotic noise of battle, but no one took notice of it.

Korra wheezed in pain as she forced herself back onto her feet, her blue eyes locked on to the fallen suit that still held Kaira. The immobile suit was slightly smoking from the remnants of the explosions, but the Avatar made her way to the sealed hatch. "Kaira! Oh Kaira, please be okay…" Korra gasped as she tried to pry the suit open. The impacts from the Equalists hammering at it coupled with the sudden heat from the following explosions had warped the frame of the hatch and made it impossible for Korra to pull it open. She couldn't bend the metal either due to the material used to craft the suit, so the Southern Water Tribe girl was left helplessly sobbing and banging her fists against it.

The glass had been blown out of the cage-like frame of the hatch, so Korra could see the unconscious girl trapped inside but she could not physically reach her. "Kaira!" Korra cried out again, oblivious to the Chi blockers closing in around her. The three boys had her back though and they worked in unison to tear through the Equalists to get to her. Just as they reached the Avatar's side, the low rumble grew into a furious earth-shaking roar that seemed to originate from the mountain itself, drawing absolute attention to it.

"Oh no…" Tohle whispered as he realized what was happening. The side of the mountain crumbled away from the shape of a giant monstrosity, and Tohle said, "It's the spirit of the mountain." The huge creature bellowed, its voice a twisted sonata of howling winds and screeching metal that shook across the entire valley. It pulled itself from the rubble of the mountain and shook the earth off to reveal a sickly thin body comprised of living metal. Its surface was riddled with gaping holes and large jutting boulders, marring what would have been a smooth and reflective coat. The shape faintly resembled a wild mountain cougar, though the limbs were grossly stretched out to create an eerie skeletal structure and the head had no face. It yielded only a jagged and oversized mouth lined with crudely cut boulders from the ruins of the mountain it had crawled out of.

Korra studied the pained spirit as she stood up straight and called out to the stunned Equalists within hearing range, "Take a good, long look! This is what your greed and anger has done to a sacred place here in our world! Humanity has pushed this spirit's pain beyond the breaking point and tainted this place!" She fell quiet as a few Equalists looked in her direction, realization dawning across their features. She met every pair of those eyes before she said, "Balance is necessary for all of us, here and in the Spirit Realm. The answer can't be found by wiping out benders or non-benders! We all need each other and the realms need balance, or more destruction like this will surely follow!"

The creature shrieked loudly again and many of the Equalists who had heard Korra speaking began to nod in agreement. Tohle stepped close to the Avatar's side and said, "These people need to get out. They will stand no chance when that spirit attacks…"

Korra's blue eyes hardened and she turned to Orion. "Keep Kaira safe. I am going to go draw its attention and try to buy some time for these people to escape," the Avatar said. Orion gave a nod and Korra put her body in motion. Tohle and Makua followed her twisting path through the crowds of stunned Equalists, and the twisted spirit howled painfully while swinging one of its elongated limbs. It crushed several of the drilling machines that had been used to excavate the mine, and all around people screamed and scrambled over each other to get to the road out of the deadly valley.

Orion watched the three benders go for a moment, then he dropped to his knees and turned his focus onto the unconscious girl inside of the broken fighting suit. "Kai, wake up! Kai!" he called, rattling the frame of the hatch in a futile effort to get it open.

The large living metal creature bowed its faceless head low and scooped several doomed people into its wicked maw, roaring out over the frenzied screams of the Equalists being crushed. It swung another scrawny arm, bashing giant chunks of the broken mountain into the crowds. Korra, Makua, and Tohle all dodged a huge boulder and continued to close the distance to the spirit. When they were within range, Korra lifted one of the mountain chunks with surprising earthbending strength and hurled it straight into the spirit's head, drawing its rage right to her.

"Go around it!" she called to Tohle and Makua as she rolled low to the ground to avoid a large metal paw aimed for her. The two boys split up to start running around the long form of the spirit, distracting it sufficiently for the remaining Equalists to make it close to their salvation: the road out. Makua weakened the ground beneath the distorted spirit's feet while Tohle drew out a line of water from a large water-skin and wrapped it around one of its hind legs. The red haired islander gave it a furious yank and managed to topple the giant metal creature, and he withdrew his water as the spirit crashed into the earth.

The ground shook across the entire valley when it came down, the vibrations rattling the fallen suit that held Kaira and finally managing to stir the Firebender back into consciousness. A pained breath escaped her as she slowly lifted her throbbing head and squinted up into Orion's concerned face. He shook the ruined frame harder as he said, "We have to get you out! Can you push on it from in there?"

Kaira shifted around until she could press her feet on the hatch with her back against the chair for leverage. Orion grabbed the hatch frame by tightly wrapping his metal coils around it, then he nodded to the Firebender. Kaira pushed with every ounce of strength her tired body could muster at the same time that Orion pulled. The hatch groaned in response but still stuck fast.

Meanwhile, Makua and Korra were trying to keep the spirit pinned by encasing its limbs in earth but it simply pulled itself free. Tohle looked back at Orion struggling with the hatch as the islander shouted, "We need to get Kaira out of there! I can't heal the spirit without her!"

Korra bit her lip and nodded before she turned and made a mad dash for the fallen suit. Her movement drew the twisted spirit's attention and it released a screeching roar as it got back onto its feet. It swatted Makua away before it followed the Avatar with another grating howl. "Korra, look out!" Makua screamed from the ground, but his call was a moment too late.

The metallic spirit swung and made contact with Korra, sending her on a brutal crash course into the side of the fallen suit and knocking her out cold. Kaira let out a furious scream as she kicked the hatch savagely and it finally gave. Orion yelped as he flew backwards with the dented hatch door still in the grasp of his cords, and at last the moon-blessed Firebender climbed free from the destroyed suit. She paused only long enough to see Korra's blood running down the side of the suit, then she turned her fury onto the spirit in front of her.

Tohle began to run to her after checking on Makua, but the ocean-blessed boy knew that he wouldn't make it in time. Kaira inhaled deeply, then she struck out with her palm towards the spirit's distorted head to release a powerful rush of purple-white fire. Her lash reached its mark and scorched one side of the creature's head, making it bellow in furious pain. Tohle watched in horror as the spirit stood up on its hind legs before delivering an unforgivable blow with both forepaws into the earth. In reaction, a rapid line of jagged points raced towards Kaira faster than she would be able to dodge. She braced herself for the finishing blow, but there was no need.

Orion threw both fists like a hammer into the ground and counteracted with his Earthbending to deflect the deadly spikes just before they reached the Firebender. The spirit roared with anger but the Earthbender Orion was already making his next move. He fired the lengths of metal wires up at the creature so that they wrapped around its throat several times, then he embedded his feet into the earth as he roughly pulled it down with super human strength.

An earsplitting screech escaped the monster as it came down and was held fast by Orion alone. Tohle finally reached Kaira's side, and with a bit of coaxing he managed to pull her close to the twisted spirit's head. Quietly he whispered to her to guide her through the steps for healing and purifying the spirit. Together, Tohle and Kaira clasped hands before reaching with their free hands to touch the rough surface of the warped creature's head. Kaira shut her eyes by Tohle's direction, then she easily slipped into the focus of her Chi. A faint purple glow appeared around her in time with a beautiful aqua glow that encompassed Tohle, and a breath later their glowing auras intertwined before totally enveloping the metallic spirit's contorted body. It lessened its struggle against Orion's hold, then it completely relaxed, and a few moments later it was completely hidden beneath the brightly glowing light.

The metal coils around its throat slackened as it shrank in size, and the light shattered into faintly glimmering shards once it was the same size of a full-grown air bison. Orion retracted his metal as Tohle pulled an exhausted Kaira away, the girl on the verge of collapsing after the drain of her Chi to purify the metallic spirit. The spirit stood and gave its flawless metal coat a shake before it appraised the benders with beautiful golden eyes. It now mirrored the physique of a wild mountain cat with twin saber teeth extending far beneath its jaw and a line of horns from its muzzle to the back of its hindquarters. It had large paws that sported giant and perfectly sharp claws and the tip of its tail held one long and slightly curved spike.

The spirit sat on its haunches and looked down at the benders that had soothed its pain and restored it. Tohle and Kaira both gave respectful bows, which the spirit acknowledged , then they moved back to the fallen suit and the unconscious Avatar. Kaira slumped to her knees before gently pulling Korra away from the bloodstained metal and holding her tightly. The ocean-blessed Waterbender raised a glowing hand to Korra's injured face while the spirit stood and took a few steps towards Orion.

It was clear by the expression on the spirit's face that it wanted the Metalbender to follow, so Orion did just that. The spirit led him to Makua first and beckoned the islander Earthbender to follow as well, then the trio approached the crumbling ruins of the fallen mountain. Flicking its tail, the spirit started to push and smack chunks of the mountain back together, and the two Earthbenders picked up on the hint and added their help to the mending process. It was no easy task, but after Tohle's healing Korra joined them and eventually the benders with the spirit restored a good portion of the collapsed mountain.

Once the spirit was satisfied, it nodded with approval to the group of benders and even smiled at them. Its golden gaze locked onto Orion and the spirit approached him while a faint golden glow manifested around its body. The metallic cat lightly nuzzled its large nose against Orion's forehead, and as they made contact, the glow transferred from the spirit to the bender. The spirit pulled back and watched along with the group as the glow brightened all around the Metalbender's body for several long moments until it faded into his form.

Left in the wake of the glow, Orion's metal armor shifted in appearance, and when he opened his green eyes they were now touched with flecks of gold. He looked down at his newly stylized arm gauntlets with some surprise, and his shock grew even more when one of his arm gauntlets morphed into a long and sharp blade. Tohle grinned wide in the face of Orion's bewilderment as the Waterbender said, "Orion, you've just been blessed by the Spirit of Living Metal."

_Chapter 9 End~_


End file.
